KR100819225B1 - Liquid container and ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The liquid container for a liquid ejection apparatus includes a case having a liquid container therein; A supply formed on the first sidewall of the case, through which the liquid in the liquid receiving portion can flow out; A contact portion for contacting a portion of the slider of the liquid ejecting device to move the slider in the direction in which the liquid container is inserted; And an engaging portion formed to engage the lock portion of the slider. The contact portion and the coupling portion are formed on the second sidewall of the case, and the second sidewall intersects the first sidewall.

Description

LIQUID CONTAINER AND INK CARTRIDGE}

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an inkjet printer,

2 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment / detachment device before the ink cartridge is inserted;

3 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment device before the ink cartridge is inserted,

4 is a bottom view of the attachment / detachment device before the ink cartridge is inserted,

5 is a side view of the cartridge holding unit before the ink cartridge is inserted;

6 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the cartridge holding unit;

7A and 7B are side and bottom views of the cartridge holding unit when the insertion of the ink cartridge is started;

8A and 8B are side and bottom views of the cartridge holding when the insertion of the ink cartridge is completed;

9 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment device when the ink cartridge is mounted;

10A and 10B are side and bottom views of the cartridge holding unit when the ink cartridge is mounted,

11 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment device when the mounting of the ink cartridge is completed;

12A and 12B are a side view and a bottom view of the cartridge holding unit when the mounting of the ink cartridge is completed,

13 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment apparatus when the ink cartridge is taken out,

14A and 14B are a side view and a bottom view of the cartridge holding unit when the ink cartridge is taken out,

15 is an enlarged perspective view of the proximal end of the lever arm;

16 is a rear view of the inkjet printer with the lid member closed;

17 is a rear view of the inkjet printer with the lid member open and the lever arm in the installation position;

18 is a rear view of the inkjet printer with the lid member open and the lever arm in the reinstalled position;

19 is a bottom perspective view of the ink cartridge insertion preventing unit,

20A to 20C are bottom views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge insertion preventing unit at the time of normal insertion;

21A and 21B are bottom views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit at the time of misinsertion;

Fig. 22 is a bottom view showing the operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the cartridge holding unit only on one side is operated;

23 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge insertion prevention unit having an anti-collision unit;

24A to 24C are side cross-sectional views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when misinsertion is performed while the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position;

25A to 25C are side cross-sectional views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the normal insertion is performed while the lever arm is positioned at the reinstallation position;

26A to 26C are side cross-sectional views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit that is not provided with a collision holding unit;

27A to 27C are side cross-sectional views showing operation states of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when normal insertion is performed;

28 is a perspective view showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position;

29 is a perspective view showing an operating state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the lever arm is positioned at the reinstalled position;

30 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit,

31 is a rear view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position,

32A and 32B are plan views of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit in a state where the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the release position and in a state where the lever arm is positioned at the release position;

33A and 33B are bottom perspective views of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit,

34 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge attaching / detaching device including a creep load reducing unit;

35A and 35B are rear views of a state in which the lever arm is located in the installation position and a state in which the lever arm is located in the installation standby position, respectively;

36 is a graph showing variation in reaction force applied to an ink cartridge by a flow path member;

37 is a graph showing a state where the force for insertion of the ink cartridge is reduced after creep has occurred;

38 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge mounted in a printer;

39 is a side view of the ink cartridge,

40 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge,

41 is a rear view showing the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device provided with the ink cartridge insertion state determination unit and the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit;

42 is a rear view showing the lever arm rotation restriction mechanism when the lever arm is positioned at the reinstalled position;

43A and 43B are partial side views illustrating an operation mode of the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: Ink cartridge attachment / removal device

4: flow path member 31: lever arm

32: rotary slide mechanism 36: lock slider

37: Slider Holder 43: Combined Pole

48: slide lock piece 58: moving frame

59: combined rib 60: subframe

61: fixed frame 62: main frame

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus including an ink cartridge attaching / detaching device for attaching the ink cartridge into the main body of the recording apparatus by sliding the ink cartridge in a horizontal direction. Also, the present invention provides a liquid ejection apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus which ejects (sprays) a liquid such as ink from a recording head and records (attaches a liquid) onto a recording material (a material of the ejected liquid). And a liquid cartridge attachment / detachment device provided for the liquid ejection device. The present invention also relates to a liquid container (liquid cartridge) having an ink cartridge.

In this case, such a liquid ejecting apparatus employs an inkjet recording head to eject an ink, as well as a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copier or a facsimile machine, which records an image on the recording material, as well as a liquid which matches the intended purpose instead of the ink. And an apparatus in which the liquid ejecting head corresponding to the head is ejected onto the object material of the ejected liquid corresponding to the recording material and the liquid is attached onto the object material of the ejected liquid.

In addition to the recording head, the liquid ejection head may be a pigment material ejection head, an organic electroluminescent display, or a planar field emission display device used to manufacture a color filter for a liquid crystal display. may be an electrode material (conductive paste) spray head used to form an electrode for a -emitting display (FED), a bio-organic spray head used for manufacturing a biochip, or a sample spray head used as a precision pipette. .

An ink jet printer will be described as an example of the ink jet recording apparatus or the liquid ejecting apparatus. In order to mount an ink cartridge into an inkjet printer, a relatively large pushing force is required. When separate ink cartridges are provided for individual colors, a pushing force of about 4.9 N to 6.9 N is sufficient. However, in a single packaged ink cartridge unit in which a plurality of color ink cartridges are formed integrally, a plurality of needles are provided, so that a very large indentation of several times from 4.9 N to 6.9 N is required. Such large pushing force can be applied as long as the ink cartridge is mounted in the vertical direction, but if the ink cartridge should slide in a direction other than the vertical direction during the mounting process, an unnatural force may also be applied on the inkjet printer. Should be added. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to apply such a large pressing force.

An ink cartridge attachment / detachment device employing the lever principle to obtain a large pressing force is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1999-157094. According to this apparatus, the rotation of the cartridge attachment / detachment lever is transmitted to the link plate, thereby unlocking the link lever and mounting of the ink cartridge into the holder. However, this apparatus has been developed for the mounting of ink cartridges for individual colors, and does not provide a large pressing force necessary to cope with a single packaged ink cartridge unit in which ink cartridges for multiple colors are integrally formed. In addition, if each of the color ink cartridges is provided with a cartridge attach / detach lever and a link plate, the number of parts will increase, and thus the cost of the parts will be high.

In addition, the cartridge being loaded or mounted is always subjected to another force for returning the ink cartridge from the flow path member connected to the ink cartridge. Therefore, in order to maintain the mounting state, the pushing force for mounting the ink cartridge must be greater than this other force. Otherwise, a gap appears between the ink cartridge and the flow path member, and the contact point provided to the ink cartridge and the flow path member is moved, making it impossible to detect the ink remaining amount. Moreover, the positional change of the contact point may also occur due to a mismatch in the size tolerances of the parts. However, a form for providing such a large pressing force and maintaining a closed contact state is not disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1999-157094.

 In order to solve this problem, the object of the present invention is that even when a single packaged ink cartridge is formed in which a plurality of color ink cartridges are integrally formed (that is, even when an ink cartridge for accommodating different types of ink is employed). An ink cartridge attachment / detachment device that requires a very small force to generate and apply a large pressing force to reliably mount the ink cartridge, can easily remove the ink cartridge and does not cause a change in position of the mounted ink cartridge. To provide and to provide a recording device including the attachment / detachment device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container which can be easily fixed to an attachment / detachment device even when a large pressing force is required for mounting.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid container which can be easily removed from the attachment / detachment device even when a large pressing force is required for mounting.

In order to achieve this object, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, an ink cartridge attaching / detaching device for mounting the ink cartridge into the main body of the recording apparatus by sliding the ink cartridge is provided with a predetermined stroke of the ink cartridge. Cartridge holding means for holding the ink cartridge upon insertion; And a rotary slide for generating a pressing force necessary for mounting the ink cartridge using the rotational movement of the lever arm and the lever principle and converting the rotational movement of the lever arm to another predetermined stroke movement required for mounting the ink cartridge. Includes an appliance.

According to the first embodiment, since a lever arm is employed in which a relatively long distance can be obtained between the operating point and the point, a relatively large lever ratio can be obtained. Therefore, a single packaged ink cartridge unit can be easily mounted or removed because an extremely small force is required to generate a large pressing force by applying the lever principle.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the first embodiment, the cartridge holding means is unlocked, which can remove the ink cartridge from the main body of the recording device by simply rotating the lever arm. A mechanism is provided.

According to the second embodiment, the ink cartridge can be removed from the main body of the recording apparatus by simply performing a single-touch operation, that is, by rotating the lever arm, thereby removing the ink cartridge. The operations performed to do so can be executed smoothly and can be simplified.

According to the third embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge of the second embodiment, the unlocking mechanism includes a unlocking pin which is moved together with the ink cartridge as the lever arm rotates, and a movement trajectory of the unlocking pin. And an elastic unlocking piece for releasing the locked state of the ink cartridge by distinguishing the direction from the direction in which the ink cartridge is inserted and the direction in which the ink cartridge is removed. According to the third embodiment of the present invention, the movement trace of the unlocking pin is set such that the ink cartridge is locked in the direction in which the ink cartridge is inserted and the ink cartridge is unlocked in the direction in which the ink cartridge is removed. . Therefore, only one contact operation is necessary to remove the ink cartridge.                         

According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the first to third embodiments, the cartridge holding means is a drive rib protruding from one of two opposite sides of the ink cartridge. A lock slider which is brought into contact with and slides against a pressing force applied by the extraction spring, a slider holder which is moved with the moving frame while holding the lock slider, and which the lock slider can slide, rotatable to the lock slider A coupling pawl coupled to the coupling ribs formed on the slider holder to engage the lock slider and the slider holder together, a lock spring for urging the coupling pawl toward the coupling rib, and the ink cartridge mounted thereto. In the direction perpendicular to the mounting direction And a slide lock piece that slides with respect to the slider holder and has a guide protrusion that engages with a guide groove formed in the slider holder. According to the fourth embodiment, by employing a predetermined stroke for inserting the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge, the moving frame, the slider holder, and the lock slider are combined into one unit while the ink cartridge is securely held. To form. Therefore, only an extremely simple operation is required to securely hold the ink cartridge.

According to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the first to fourth embodiments, the lever arm is proximal end rotatably connected to a vertical rotation pin provided on a fixed frame. ; An arm body extending from the proximal end toward the rear surface of the main body of the recording apparatus; And a knob attached to the distal end of the arm body, wherein a bi-stable spring is hung between the proximal end and the fixed frame such that the lever arm is rotated between any of the left and right rotating ends. Press to position one.

According to the fifth embodiment, when the lever arm is rotated to either the left or the right by the force applied by the bistable spring, the lever arm is automatically moved to stop at either the left or the right rotating end. do. Therefore, the ink cartridge is not incompletely positioned when it is stopped, but is stopped either at a position where the ink cartridge is fully mounted into the main body of the recording apparatus or at a standby position where the inserted ink cartridge is accommodated. In addition, in order to obtain such an effect, a bistable spring having a relatively large linear diameter and a large pressing force is employed. Therefore, the bistable spring also has a function of positioning the ink cartridge, so that it slightly protrudes toward the rear side of the main body of the recording apparatus and makes it possible to easily remove the ink cartridge from the main body.

According to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the fifth embodiment, the transfer member rotated together with the lever arm is connected to the proximal end of the lever arm via a pressure spring, and the lever arm is When the ink cartridge is rotated in a predetermined direction so as to mount the ink cartridge, the pressing force applied by the boosting spring presses and holds the ink cartridge so that the ink cartridge comes into close contact with the flow path member. According to the sixth embodiment, even when the gap is opened between the ink cartridge and the flow path member due to the return force applied by the discrepancy in the flow path member and the part tolerance, the pressing force applied by the boost spring is applied to the ink cartridge. And flow path members, these two members are kept in intimate contact with each other at all times.

According to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the first to seventh embodiments, the rotary slide mechanism is constituted by a rack pinion mechanism. According to the seventh embodiment, there is a relatively simple structure for converting the rotational movement of the lever arm into the movement of the moving frame of a predetermined stroke necessary for mounting the ink cartridge or the movement of the ink cartridge held by the moving frame. Can be used. In addition, the transfer path or length of action can be significantly increased by employing the rack, so that the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case where a large number of gear trains are employed to provide the transfer path.

According to an eighth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attaching / detaching device of the seventh embodiment, the rotary slide mechanism is attached to the proximal end of the lever arm and rotates together with the lever arm; The motion of the first rack engaging the first pinion and the first rack includes a slide bar having a second rack that transmits downstream along a delivery path, the rotation of the second pinion and the second pinion that engages the second rack. A coupling pinion having a third pinion for transmitting downstream along the delivery path, and a third rack provided on the moving frame slidably attached to the fixed frame to engage the third pinion.

According to the ninth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the sixth embodiment, the delivery path provided by the second rack, the second pinion, the third pinion and the third rack is Disposed on each of the right and left sides of the lever arm.

According to the eighth and ninth embodiments of the present invention, the optimum point for smoothly sliding the movable frame, regardless of the position of the rotational point of the lever arm, can be directed to the movable frame as the final operating point for transmitting force. . If the delivery paths are arranged on both sides, the moving frame can be prevented from tilting when the ink cartridge is attached and detached, and the ink cartridge can be smoothly and securely mounted and removed.

According to the tenth embodiment of the present invention, the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the first to ninth embodiments has an installation position in which the lever arm is supposed to be positioned when the ink cartridge is completely mounted. position or the lever arm is positioned at a position other than a reset position at which the ink cartridge can be mounted, or the cartridge holding means of only one side is operated to operate the ink cartridge. It further comprises an ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means for preventing the insertion of said ink cartridge when it is inserted.

The main common misinsertion prevention means for off-carriage ink cartridges is the electrical detection of electrical conduction, and the other physically prevents the insertion of the ink cartridge which does not engage with the protrusion formed on the cartridge holder side. There is something to prevent. However, these means can be applied to ink cartridges provided for individual colors, and are not always satisfactory in the case of a single packaged ink cartridge unit in which a plurality of color ink cartridges are integrally formed.

On the other hand, according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention, when the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position at which the ink cartridge should not be inserted, and when the ink cartridge is inserted at this time, the cartridge holding means Operation of the ink cartridge is prevented from being performed. In addition, when the ink cartridge is inserted while the ink cartridge holding means of only one side is operated, the ink cartridge is inclined so that the insertion of the ink cartridge is incomplete. Therefore, the means provided in the tenth embodiment is effective as a prevention means against misinsertion of the ink cartridge of the single package type.

According to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment apparatus of the tenth embodiment, the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means includes: a misinsertion prevention protrusion projecting from the fixing frame of the recording apparatus toward the lock slider; A slide lock piece that slides in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the ink cartridge is inserted with respect to the lock slider, and a guide protrusion formed in the slider holder moved together with the moving frame of the recording apparatus and provided on the slide lock piece. And the guide groove is positioned so that the slide lock piece contacts the misinsertion prevention protrusion and prevents the insertion of the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is inserted while the lever arm is positioned at the installation position. Moving trajectories That is formed. According to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, when the lever arm is positioned at the installation position, the misinsertion prevention protrusion is formed on the fixing frame and the structure of the guide groove is relatively simple. Incorrect insertion of the ink cartridge is prevented.

According to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the tenth or eleventh embodiment, the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means is a misinsertion prevention protrusion protruding from the fixing frame of the recording apparatus toward the lock slider. And a slide lock piece that slides in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the ink cartridge is inserted with respect to the lock slider, and a guide protrusion formed in the slider holder moved together with the moving frame of the recording apparatus and provided on the slide lock piece. And a guide groove engaged with the cartridge, wherein the guide groove is adjacent to the cartridge holding means on the other side that is not operated when the lever arm is rotated from the reinstallation position to the installation position while only the cartridge holding means is operated on one side. Located at It is formed to assume a movement path the slide lock piece group the O into contact with insertion-proof projection is to prevent the insertion of the ink cartridge. According to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention, the lever insertion preventing protrusion is formed on the fixing frame and the guide groove is designed in a relatively simple structure, wherein only one side of the cartridge holding means is operated so that the lever arm is operated. When the ink cartridge is rotated from the reinstallation position to the installation position, misinsertion of the ink cartridge can be prevented.

According to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the first to twelfth embodiments, the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means is such that the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position. And a collision avoidance unit which prevents deformation of the resilient unlocking piece caused by a collision with the unlocking pin provided on the engagement pawl when the ink cartridge is inserted. According to the thirteenth embodiment, a collision avoidance unit is provided so that even when the ink cartridge is inserted while the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position, collision of the unlocking pin to the flexible unlocking piece is prevented. And deformation of the flexible unlocking piece due to the collision is prevented in advance.

According to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention, the ink cartridge attaching / detaching device of the thirteenth embodiment, wherein the collision avoidance means comprises: a collision avoidance protrusion which rotates together with the engagement pawl; And a slide surface in contact with the collision avoiding convex portion and integrally formed in the engagement rib to engage the engagement pawl, wherein the rotational trajectory of the engagement pawl is such that the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position so that the ink Set the avoidance rotational trajectory so that the unlocking pin does not collide with the elastic unlocking piece by correcting the normal rotational trajectory of the engaging pawl that causes the unlocking pin to collide with the elastic unlocking piece when the cartridge is inserted. It is. According to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention, with the relatively simple structure in which the collision avoidance protrusion and the slide surface are provided, the normal rotational trajectory of the coupling pawl can be corrected and the avoidance rotational trajectory can be changed. Collision of the unlocking pin to the elastic unlocking piece can be prevented.

According to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the tenth to fourteenth embodiments, the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means is arranged in a retracted position when the lever arm is positioned at the reinstallation position. A misinsertion prevention flap that adopts a protruding position when the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position; And a rotation direction changing mechanism for converting the movement of the lever arm into the movement of the misinsertion prevention flap. According to the fifteenth embodiment, the misinsertion prevention flap protrudes when the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position, so that insertion of the ink cartridge becomes physically impossible. In addition, when the misinsertion prevention flap of the protruding posture is visible to the user attempting to insert the ink cartridge, the user can visually confirm that the insertion of the ink cartridge is prohibited.

According to a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the fifteenth embodiment, the misinsertion prevention flap is in direct contact with the insertion end surface of the ink cartridge to prevent the misinsertion of the ink cartridge. A main body, a rotary shaft rotatably connected to the fixed frame such that an axial direction is set in the width direction of the fixed frame, and a conversion cam follower provided on an end face opposite the flap body with the rotary shaft interposed therebetween. The misinsertion prevention flap always adopts a protruding posture by receiving the pressing force from the pressing means disposed between the fixing frame and the flap. According to a sixteenth embodiment, the misinsertion prevention flap has a relatively simple and functional structure and is positioned to physically, visually and effectively prevent misinsertion of the ink cartridge.                         

According to a seventeenth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the fifteenth or sixteenth embodiment, the rotation direction changing mechanism is configured such that the lever is centered on a rotation pin provided perpendicularly to an upper surface of the fixed frame. A trigger that rotates at a predetermined angle in the direction of movement of the arm, a conversion cam follower provided in the misinsertion prevention flap, and pressing means for pressing the trigger to always rotate toward the lever arm.

According to an eighteenth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attaching / removing device of the seventeenth embodiment, the trigger is rotatably connected to the rotary pin and extends radially from an arm end portion; A conversion operation portion circumferentially extending toward the lever arm and the misinsertion prevention flap, the conversion operation portion having an input contact portion in direct contact with the lever arm on an input side thereof, and sliding on the output side to prevent the misinsertion; It has a conversion cam face in contact with the conversion cam follower of the flap.

According to the seventeenth and eighteenth embodiments of the present invention, with a relatively simple structure in which only a trigger of a predetermined shape is arranged, the rotational movement of the lever arm can be converted into the rotational movement of the misinsertion prevention flap. Therefore, the ink cartridge can be inserted only when the lever arm is positioned at the reinstallation position.

According to the nineteenth embodiment of the present invention, the ink cartridge attaching / removing device of any one of the first to eighteenth embodiments is provided at an installation position where the lever arm is to be positioned when the mounting of the ink cartridge is completed. And further comprising creep load reducing means which is generated when the lever arm continues to stay and reduces creep loads applied to individual sections in the main body of the recording apparatus.

When the lever arm is positioned in the installation position, a fairly large load is applied on the individual sections in the main body of the recording apparatus. If this condition persists, creep is generated in the section in the main body of the recording apparatus, and a pressing force necessary for contacting the ink cartridge and the flow path member cannot be obtained. According to a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention, since a creep load reducing means is provided, the individual sections in the main body of the recording apparatus are kept without creep loads. Further, even if the ink cartridge is slightly retracted, the pushing force necessary for mounting the ink cartridge is obtained. Therefore, since a large load for generating creep is not applied to the individual sections in the main body of the recording apparatus, the pushing force required for mounting the ink cartridge is continuously obtained regardless of the frequency of attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge.

According to a twentieth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the nineteenth embodiment, the creep load reducing means includes pressurizing means for pressing the lever arm positioned at the installation position to rotate toward the reinstallation position; And a lever arm stop mechanism for stopping the lever arm at an installation standby position located rearward by a predetermined pitch from the installation position toward the reinstallation position.

According to a twentieth embodiment of the present invention, the lever arm in the installation position is automatically moved to the reinstallation position by the force of the urging means and stopped at the predetermined installation standby position by the action of the lever arm stop mechanism. Therefore, the lever arm can automatically reach the installation standby position without special attention of the user, so that the usability can be improved. Further, since the load applied to the individual sections in the main body of the recording apparatus is reduced, the service life of the main body of the recording apparatus can be extended.

According to a twenty-first embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attaching / removing device of any one of the first to twentieth embodiments, the ink cartridge when the user attempts to insert the ink cartridge more than a predetermined distance. An ink cartridge insertion state determination means is provided for stopping the ink cartridge at a predetermined position before mounting of the ink cartridge and allowing the user to determine whether the insertion state of the ink cartridge is normal or abnormal.

Since the insertion of the ink cartridge depends on the action of the user, there is a possibility of misinsertion (abnormal insertion state) such as tilted insertion in which the ink cartridge is inserted in the state where only one side of the cartridge holding means is operated, and thus There is a possibility that the ink cartridge which has been incorrectly inserted may be mounted without a correction (hereinafter referred to as incorrect mounting).

According to a twenty-first embodiment of the present invention, when a user attempts to insert the ink cartridge beyond a predetermined distance, the ink cartridge insertion state determining means stops the ink cartridge at a predetermined position before mounting the ink cartridge. Thus, the user can visually check the rear end of the ink cartridge to easily determine whether the insertion state of the ink cartridge is normal or abnormal. As a result, if the insertion state is abnormal, the user can correctly insert the ink cartridge again. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the possibility of the ink cartridge being incorrectly mounted by the rotation of the lever arm in the abnormal insertion state without correction.

According to a twenty-second embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the twenty-first embodiment, the ink cartridge insertion state determining means is inserted by restricting the rotation of the lever arm from the reinstallation position toward the installation position. And a lever arm rotation limiting mechanism for stopping the ink cartridge at a predetermined position.

According to the twenty-second embodiment of the present invention, even if a user attempts to insert the ink cartridge more than a predetermined distance, the rotation of the lever arm from the reinstallation position toward the installation position is limited. Thus, the movement of the rotary slide mechanism is also limited. Therefore, the ink cartridge can be stopped at a predetermined position. As a result, by restricting only the rotation of the lever arm, the user can easily determine whether the insertion state of the ink cartridge is normal or abnormal.

According to a twenty-third embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attaching / removing device of the twenty-second embodiment, the lever arm rotation limiting mechanism is disposed at the reinstallation position on a guide for guiding rotation of the lever arm and the lever arm It is provided with a limiting portion for limiting the rotation of the toward the installation position.

According to a twenty-third embodiment of the present invention, since the restricting portion is formed at the reinstallation position on the guide for guiding the rotation of the lever arm, the lever arm rotation limiting mechanism is easily constructed at low cost without increasing component parts. Can be.                         

According to a twenty-fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of any one of the first to twenty-third embodiments, when the ink cartridge in an abnormally inserted state is incorrectly mounted, the user may be notified of the ink cartridge. Ink cartridge erroneous warning means for informing mounting is provided.

Although a structure is adopted which makes it difficult to perform the wrong insertion of the ink cartridge, it is difficult to completely remove the wrong insertion of the ink cartridge because the insertion operation depends on the action of the user.

For this reason, according to the twenty-fourth embodiment of the present invention, the ink cartridge misfitting warning that can notify the user of the misfit of the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge in the abnormally inserted state (misinserted state) is misfitted. Means are provided. Therefore, upon notification, the user can mount the ink cartridge by correctly inserting the ink cartridge again. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the possibility that the ink cartridge in an uncorrected abnormal insertion state (misinsertion state) is incorrectly mounted by the rotation of the lever arm. In addition, it is possible to significantly reduce the possibility of leaving the misplaced ink cartridge intact, thus significantly reducing the possibility of ink leaking by capillary action resulting from an incomplete sealing state between the ink supply needle and the sealing height. It is possible to let.

According to a twenty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the twenty-fourth embodiment, the ink cartridge misalignment warning means comprises: a rotatable lead member capable of closing an insertion opening for the ink cartridge; And a rib formed on an inner side of the lead member, wherein when the ink cartridge is incorrectly mounted, the rib contacts the ink cartridge and restricts rotation of the lead member to prevent the lid member from closing.

According to a twenty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, when the ink cartridge is incorrectly mounted, the rib on the inner surface of the lead member contacts the ink cartridge and restricts rotation of the lead member, thereby preventing the lid member from closing. . In this way, misfit can be notified to the user. That is, upon notification, the user can reinsert the ink cartridge to remount the ink cartridge.

According to a twenty sixth embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device of the twenty-fifth embodiment, the ink cartridge misalignment warning means further includes a lid member opening and closing detector for detecting opening and closing of the lid member.

According to the twenty-sixth embodiment, since the lid member opening and closing detector can detect the opening and closing of the lid member, the fact that the lid member is not closed is converted into an electrical signal that can be notified to the user by a warning display device or the like. Can be.

According to a twenty-seventh embodiment of the present invention, in the ink cartridge attaching / detaching device of the twenty-sixth embodiment, the ink cartridge misalignment warning means is arranged until the lid member opening / closing detector detects the closing of the lid member. It is further provided with an ink cartridge misfit state controller for preventing the main body of the apparatus from operating.

According to a twenty-seventh embodiment of the present invention, by providing the ink cartridge misloading state controller, there is no possibility that the recording apparatus main body is operated until the closing of the lid member is detected by the lid member opening and closing detector. . Therefore, when the ink cartridge is incorrectly mounted, there is no possibility that the recording apparatus main body performs an initial filling step or the like to fill ink into the flow path provided in the recording head. Therefore, even if the ink cartridge is incorrectly mounted, there is no possibility of waste ink leaking out due to the initial filling step or the like outwardly.

According to a twenty eighth embodiment of the present invention, the recording apparatus includes the ink cartridge attaching / detaching apparatus according to any one of the first to twenty-seventh embodiments, which slides the ink cartridge and mounts it into the main body of the recording apparatus. According to a twenty-eighth embodiment of the present invention, the recording apparatus in which the ink cartridge can be attached and detached with an extremely small force can be provided.

According to a twenty-ninth embodiment of the present invention, a liquid ejection apparatus comprises: a liquid cartridge attachment / detachment device for sliding a liquid cartridge to mount the liquid cartridge into a body of the liquid ejection apparatus, and a predetermined stroke; Cartridge holding means for holding the liquid cartridge upon insertion of the liquid cartridge of the liquid cartridge, and generating a pushing force necessary for mounting the liquid cartridge using the lever arm rotational and lever principle and the rotational movement of the lever arm to the liquid. And a rotary slide mechanism for converting to another predetermined stroke of movement required to mount the cartridge.

According to a thirtieth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a liquid container containing portion for containing a liquid container and a slider for sliding in the direction in which the liquid container is inserted while holding the liquid container in the liquid container containing portion. The liquid container, which is adopted as a liquid container, includes a case having a liquid container therein, and a supply unit formed on one sidewall of the case and introducing a liquid into the liquid container to the outside. A contact portion in contact with a portion of the slider and a coupling portion engaged with the lock portion provided on the slider are formed on the sidewall crossing the sidewall on which the supply portion is formed so as to move in the insertion direction.

According to a thirtieth embodiment, the contact portion in contact with a portion of the slider is formed on the side wall of the case of the liquid container. In this case, the engaging portion engaging with the lock portion of the slider is provided on the case. When the liquid container is inserted into the attachment / detachment device, the contact portion comes into contact with a portion of the slider to push the slider. In addition, when the liquid container is inserted, the coupling portion of the case is engaged with the lock portion of the slider, so that the case is fixed to the slider. Therefore, since the liquid container can be moved to the connector side while being held by the slider, the liquid container can be connected to the connector through a stable operation.

According to a thirty first embodiment of the present invention, in the liquid container of the thirtieth embodiment, the contact portion projects out of the case.

In this arrangement, since the contact portion projects out of the case, the contact portion can be easily contacted with the lock portion provided on the slider when the liquid container is inserted into the attachment / detachment device.

According to a thirty-second embodiment of the present invention, in the liquid container of the thirty or thirty-first embodiment, the engagement portion is recessed in one surface of the case, and the engagement portion and the engagement portion as the lock portion enters the engagement portion. The lock parts are joined together.

According to this arrangement, since the engaging portion is recessed in one surface of the case, the lock portion only needs to enter the engaging portion in order to engage with these portions. As a result, the case can be more securely fixed to the slider.

According to a thirty-third embodiment of the present invention, in any one of the thirtieth to thirty-second embodiments of the present invention, the contact surface formed on the contact portion and in contact with a portion of the slider is connected to one side of the engagement portion. do.

According to this arrangement, since one surface of the coupling portion is integrally formed on the contact surface of the contact portion, the lock portion may be positioned using the contact surface and may be coupled to the coupling portion.

According to a thirty-fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the liquid container of any one of the thirtieth to thirty-third embodiments, a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the contact portion is provided on one surface of the case.

According to this arrangement, since the reinforcing part for reinforcing the contact part is provided on the case, damage to the contact part or the part in which the contact part is formed when one part of the slider contacts the contact part can be prevented.                         

According to a thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided the liquid container of any one of the thirtieth to thirty-fourth embodiments, wherein the case, the circuit board having the storage device, the positioning portion and the adjacent portion abutting the liquid container receiving portion. At least one introduction portion for introducing the liquid is formed in the case.

According to this arrangement, since the case, the circuit board having the storage device, the positioning portion, and at least one introduction portion for introducing the liquid into the adjacent portion in contact with the liquid container containing portion are formed in the case, the function of the liquid container is achieved. This can be improved.

According to a thirty sixth embodiment of the present invention, in the liquid container of any one of the thirtieth to thirty-fifth embodiments, a circuit board having a storage device and an adjacent portion in contact with the liquid container receiving portion are formed in the case; The coupling portion, the circuit board and the adjacent portion are arranged in the order listed at a relative distance from the bottom of the case toward the height of the case.

According to this arrangement, not only the coupling portion but also the circuit board and the adjacent portion are formed in the case, and the coupling portion, the circuit board and the adjacent portion are enumerated with a relative distance from the bottom of the case toward the height of the case. Are arranged in the same order. That is, the case is supported by the engaging portion engaging the lock portion and the adjacent portion contacting the liquid ejecting device. Therefore, a moment of force is generated in the direction in which the circuit board is pressed against the terminal arrangement portion of the liquid injector, so that the connection between the circuit board and the terminal arrangement portion can be stabilized.

According to a thirty-seventh embodiment of the present invention, the liquid container of any one of the thirtieth to thirty-sixth embodiments, wherein the contact portion and the engaging portion are substantially parallel to the direction in which the liquid container is inserted and opposite the slider. It is located on the face of the case.

According to this arrangement, the contact portion and the engaging portion are located on the surface of the case which is substantially parallel to the direction in which the liquid container is inserted and opposite the slider, so that the slider is easy to contact with the contact portion when the liquid container is inserted. Can be contacted.

The present disclosure discloses Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2003-424832 (filed December 12, 2003), 2004-031295 (filed 2004.02.06), 2004-032152 (filed 2004.02.09) and 2004- 244780 (filed August 25, 2004), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Hereinafter, a recording apparatus including the ink cartridge attaching / detaching device and the ink cartridge according to the present invention and the ink cartridge attaching / detaching device as an example of the liquid ejecting device will be described in detail. First, an inkjet printer is employed as the best mode for executing the recording apparatus, and an overview of the schematic form will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an inkjet printer when an ink cartridge is mounted.

(Inkjet printer)

In the inkjet printer 100, the carriage 10 is supported by the carriage guide shaft 12 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the surface of FIG. 1). The carriage 10 is a main component of the recording means, which is an example of the liquid jetting means for recording on the recording material P (hereinafter simply referred to as the sheet P), which is an example of the material for liquid jetting. A recording head 13 is mounted on the carriage 10, and the recording head 13 is an example of a liquid ejecting head that ejects (sprays) ink, which is an example of liquid, to the sheet P. As shown in FIG. In the space of the recording apparatus main body 3 below the carriage 10, a single packaged ink cartridge 611, which is an example of a liquid cartridge (liquid container), is described below. Is mounted through).

An ink supply mechanism (not shown) is connected to the attachment / detachment device 1. The ink supply mechanism includes, for example, a valve mechanism and a tube, by which the attachment / detachment device 1 communicates with the recording head 13. The ink supply mechanism supplies ink from the ink cartridge 611 to the recording head 13 through the tube.

A platen 28 is positioned below the recording head 13 opposite thereto to define a gap PG between the head surface of the recording head 13 and the sheet P. As shown in FIG. The sheet P is a sheet conveying operation, that is, a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the sheet P between the carriage 10 and the platen 28 (FIG. 1). And ink ejecting operations, i.e., the sheet P from the recording head 13 during the one-time reciprocation of the recording head 13 in the main scanning direction. It is recorded by alternately and repeatedly performing the operation of ejecting the ink.

The form of the said inkjet printer 100 is demonstrated based on the conveyance path of the said sheet | seat P. FIG. First, a feed tray 5, which is an example of a target material stacking portion for stacking the sheets P, is disposed most upstream in the conveying direction. An edge guide 15 is provided in the feed tray 5 to contact the side edges of the sheet P and to smoothly guide the sheet P in the sub-scanning direction. As the rotary shaft 17 of the feed roller 14 rotates, the hopper 16 is raised at a predetermined time to push the sheet P on the feed tray 5 toward the feed roller 14.

The section with the feed tray 5, the feed roller 14 and the hopper 16 is an automatic seat feeder 2. As the feed roller 14 rotates, a predetermined number of units of the sheet P starting from the top sheet P by a force applied by the separation pad, which is an example of a separator provided near the feed roller 14 Are picked up sequentially. The sheet P thus picked up is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction.

A recording material detector (not shown) (hereinafter simply referred to as a detection lever), which is an example of a target material detecting means for detecting the passage of the sheet P, is provided downstream of the feed roller 14. In addition, a feed roller pair 19 is provided downstream of the detection lever, which is used for conveying and has a drive roller 19a and a roller 19b formed in pairs therewith. The paired rollers 19b are rotatably attached to a rotating shaft (not shown) and supported downstream of the roller holder 18 which can be rotated by a helical torsion spring (not shown). The roller 19b formed by the contact with the drive roller 19a is always in pressure to form a nip.

The sheet P sandwiched and conveyed by the conveying roller pair 19 is guided to a recording position 26 below the recording head 13, so that the carriage 10 and the sheet P are described above. As it is moved in a manner, a desired recording process is performed on the substantially entire recording surface of the sheet P. The gap GP defined between the platen 28 and the recording head 13, which is located below and opposite the recording head 13, is a very important element for accurate recording, and if necessary the sheet P Is adjusted according to the thickness.

A discharge roller pair 20 having a drive roller 20a and a toothed discharge roller 20b, which is an example of the target material discharge means, is located downstream of the recording head 13. The sheet P is discharged by the discharge roller pair 20 and is placed on the mounting surface 51 of the discharge stacker 50 located downstream, which is an example of the object material receiving portion.

The toothed roller 20b has a plurality of teeth along the outer edge and is rotatably supported by a roller holder (not shown) provided in the toothed roller. An auxiliary tooth roller 22 is located upstream of the tooth release roller 20b and the sheet P is pushed slightly downstream by the auxiliary tooth roller 22. The axes of the rollers 19b formed in pairs are located slightly downstream of the axes of the drive rollers 19a, and the axes of the toothed release rollers 20b are located slightly upstream of the axes of the drive rollers 20a.

With this arrangement, between the conveying roller pair 19 and the ejecting roller pair 20, the sheet P is slightly curved and convex downward, that is, placed in a so-called "reverse warped" state. Further, the sheet P positioned opposite the recording head 13 is pressed against the platen 28 which prevents the sheet P from rising, so that correct recording is performed. It should be noted that the auxiliary tooth roller 22 has a plurality of teeth corresponding to the tooth release roller 20b and is supported by a roller holder (not shown) provided in the auxiliary tooth roller.

The inkjet printer 100 in this mode employs a single packaged ink cartridge in which a plurality of ink cartridges are integrally formed, and the ink cartridge 611 is mounted on the main body 3 under the feed tray 5. The printer slides in the horizontal direction from the rear portion of the printer to mount the ink cartridge. As shown in Fig. 16, a lid member 29 is provided on the rear end face of the main body 3 to block the opening for insertion of the ink cartridge 611. As shown in Figs.

(Ink cartridge)

Preferably, the ink cartridge 611 used for the ink jet printer 100 will be described. FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge 611, FIG. 39 is a side view of the ink cartridge 611, and FIG. 40 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 611. 38 to 40, the ink cartridge 611 is provided with a case 612. As shown in FIG. 40, a plurality of ink packs 613 are stored in the case 612. In this embodiment, six ink packs 613 in which different kinds of ink are accommodated are stored. Each of the ink packs 613 has a bag 613a that functions as a liquid container and an introduction part 613b that functions as a supply unit. The bag 613a is obtained by heat-sealing a film member or film members in a bag shape. The introduction portion 613b is sandwiched between the film members while its proximal end is inserted into the bag 613a. The introduction portion 613b has a flow path (not shown) therein so that the ink contained in the bag 613a can be introduced to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 40, the case 612 is formed of a receiving part 614 and a lead 615. The receiving portion 614 has a box shape, and six lower support portions 614b are formed on the front surface 614a. In order to mount the ink pack 613 in the receiving portion 614, an introduction portion 613b of the ink pack 613 is fixed to the lower support portion 614b. An upper support 615b is formed on the front surface 615a of the lead 615. In order to attach the lead 615 to the receiving portion 614, the upper support 615b is fitted to the lower support 614b to which the introduction portion 613b is fixed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 38, the support part 616 which comprises the said supply part is formed on the front surface 612a of the case 612. As shown in FIG. Insertion holes 616a are provided in each of the support portions 616. When the ink cartridge 611 is inserted, the front surface 612a faces the attachment / detachment device 1, and the top surface 612b and the bottom surface 612c are horizontally placed.

As shown in Fig. 38, the first fitting hole 617 and the second fitting hole 618, which are positioning portions, are the left and right sides of the front surface 612a of the case 612 (accommodating portion 614). It is formed at each end. Further, each of the ring-shaped adjacent portions 617a and 618a protrudes from the front surface 612a by one step to surround the first and second fitting holes 617 and 618. The adjoining portions 617a and 618a serve as a portion in contact with the flow passage member 4 when the ink cartridge 611 is connected to the flow passage member 4 (see FIG. 3) described later. A substrate recess 619, which is a substrate attaching portion, is formed in the bottom 612c of the case 612 (accommodating portion 614) below the second fitting hole 618. A circuit board having a storage device (not shown) is disposed in the substrate recess 619. In addition, an introduction support portion 620 used as an introduction portion is formed between the first fitting hole 617 and the support portion 616 on the front surface 612a of the case 612 and on the right end portion of FIG. 38. . The flow path 620a is formed in the introduction part 620, and when the lead 615 is fixed to the receiving part 614, the flow path 620a is formed in the front surface 615a of the lead 615. It is in communication with the introduction passage 615c (see FIG. 40). The introduction passage 615c communicates with a waste ink container (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the lid 615.

The waste ink container is preferably defined by welding (hot sealing) the edge of one film member (not shown) to the back surface of the lid 615. The waste ink container includes an absorbing member between the film member and the rear surface of the lid 615, and may be connected to a cleaning device (not shown) provided in the inkjet printer 100. The cleaning mechanism has a cap, a vacuum pump, or the like to forcibly suck up ink in the recording head 13 to prevent clogging of the nozzle of the recording head 13. Therefore, the waste ink discharged from the cleaning device is transferred from the introduction support 620 to the waste ink container through the flow path 620a.

As shown in Fig. 38, the engaging recess 621, which is the engaging portion, is located in a plane parallel to the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is inserted, that is, the side surface of the case 612 (receiving portion 614). Side walls) 612d and 612e. 38 and 39, the coupling recess 621 is formed in a square in the side surfaces 612d, 612e. The coupling recess 621 is open at the bottom 612c of the case 612, and as shown in FIG. 39, the case (not shown at the intermediate position between the front side 612a and the rear side 612f). It is located slightly closer to the back 612f of 612. In addition, the coupling recess 621, the upper surface (substrate attaching surface) of the substrate recess 619, and the adjacent portion 618a are all formed in the case 612, and the case 612. They are located in order with a relative distance in the height direction H from the bottom surface 612c of (). That is, in the height direction H, the coupling recess 621 is located below the substrate attaching surface of the substrate recess 619 located below the adjacent portion 618a.

As shown in Fig. 39, pressure ribs (drive ribs) 622 are formed on the side surfaces 612d and 612e of the receiving portion 614, each of which has a substantially L-shape. Each of the pressurized ribs 622 has a first rib 623 which is a contact and a second rib 624 which is a reinforcing means.

The first rib 623 protrudes in a strip shape, and its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the height H direction of the ink cartridge 611 (receiving portion 614). The front surface of the first rib 623 is used as the contact surface 625 in contact with the lock slider 36 to be described later. That is, as shown in FIG. 38, the contact surface 625 protrudes outward from the side surfaces 612d and 612e of the case 612. The first rib 623 is adjacent to the coupling recess 621, and more specifically, the surface of the coupling recess 621 close to the rear surface 612f of the case 612 may be formed by the first rib 623. It is continuous (preferably so that it may become coplanar) to the contact surface (front surface) 625 of one rib 623.

The second rib 624 is continuous to the first rib 623. The second rib 624 protrudes in a strip shape, and its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the depth direction L of the ink cartridge 611 (receiving portion 614). The second rib 624 reinforces the first rib 623. That is, when the other member contacts the contact surface 625 of the first rib 623, damage to the contact surface 625 or the first rib 623 is prevented.

(Ink Cartridge Attachment / Removal Device)

Hereinafter, an ink cartridge attachment / detachment apparatus applied to the inkjet printer 100 and attaching / detaching the ink cartridge 611 will be described. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device in a state before the ink cartridge is inserted into the printer. Fig. 3 is a plan view of this state, Fig. 4 is a bottom view of this state, and Fig. 5 is a side view of the cartridge holding mechanism in this state. 6 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the cartridge holding mechanism. 7A and 7B are side and bottom views showing an operating state of the cartridge holding mechanism in the ink cartridge insertion start position. 8A and 8B are side and bottom views showing an operating state of the cartridge holding mechanism in the ink cartridge insertion end position.

9 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment device in a state where the ink cartridge is currently mounted. 10A and 10B are side and bottom views showing an operating state of the cartridge holding mechanism in this state. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment device with the ink cartridge completely attached. 12A and 12B are side cross-sectional and bottom views of the ink cartridge holding mechanism in this state. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the attachment / detachment device in an unlocked instant state for removing the ink cartridge. 14A and 14B are side and bottom views of the cartridge holding mechanism in this state. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the proximal end of the lever arm.

As shown in Fig. 2, the attachment / detachment apparatus 1 including the ink cartridge accommodating portion (liquid container accommodating portion) includes a flow path member 4 as a connector, a cartridge holding mechanism 30 as a holding unit And a rotary slide mechanism 32 which is a slide mechanism. The flow path member 4 is attached to the end of the main frame 62. The cartridge holding mechanism 30 and the rotary slide mechanism 32 are attached to the lower portion and the upper surface of the main frame 62, respectively, as shown in FIG. The cartridge holding mechanism 30 is located on each lower side of the main frame 62. In the space defined by the main frame 62 and the cartridge holding mechanism 30, an opening is formed on the side surface (left side in FIG. 2) opposite to the side surface on which the flow path member 4 is attached. The attachment / detachment device 1 is disposed inside the outer case of the printer 100 so that the opening faces the insertion port formed in the outer case, and thus the ink cartridge 611 inserted through the insertion port. Can be accommodated in the space. 2, only one portion is shown for the cartridge holding mechanism 30 located on the left end of the main frame 62, and the other portion is not shown.

In the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device 1 according to the present embodiment, the cartridge holding mechanism 30 holds the ink cartridge 611 when a predetermined stroke is inserted into the ink cartridge 611. . In addition, in this embodiment, the rotary slide mechanism 32 uses the rotational movement of the lever arm 31 and the lever principle to provide sufficient pushing force for mounting the ink cartridge 611. The rotary slide mechanism 32 converts the rotational movement of the lever arm 31 into another horizontal movement of another predetermined stroke required for mounting the ink cartridge 611.

Of these components, each of the cartridge holding mechanisms 30 is provided as one of the feature components of the present invention, and the ink cartridge 611 from the main body 3 is merely rotated by the lever arm 31. It has the unlocking mechanism 33 which can extract | collect. The unlock mechanism 33 controls the movement traces of the unlock pin 34 and the unlock pin 34, which are moved together with the ink cartridge 611 as the lever arm 31 rotates. A flexible (elastic) unlocking piece 35 for releasing the lock of the ink cartridge 611 by distinguishing between the insertion direction of the 611 and the removal direction thereof is provided. Further details of the unlocking mechanism 33 will be described later along with other components of the cartridge holding mechanism 30.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cartridge holding mechanism 30 includes a lock slider 36 for directly supporting the ink cartridge 611, and a slider holder 37 for slidably supporting the lock slider 36. As shown in FIG. ) And a unlocking mechanism (33). The lock slider 36 slides by contacting the contact surface 625 of the driving rib (pressing rib) 622 shown in Figs. 2 and 38, which protrudes from the side surfaces 612d and 612e of the ink cartridge 611. It is a block member.

The lock slider 36 is moved into the slider holder 37 to be guided by guide ribs 38 formed on the intermediate plate 37b of the slider holder 37 and thus of the slider holder 37. It slides along the inner walls of the upper and lower plates 37a and 37c. The lock slider 36 is formed with a joining groove 39 fitted with the guide rib 38. An extraction spring 42, such as a tension coil spring, is caught between the lock slider 36 and the engaging hooks 40, 41 formed on the slider holder 37, respectively.

The engagement groove 39 is formed on the side of the lock slider 36, and the guide rib 38 of the slider holder 37 is fitted in the engagement groove 39. Further, a guide recess 47 is formed on the lower surface of the lock slider 36, and a slide lock piece 48, which is a lock portion, is fitted to the guide recess 47. This slide lock piece 48 is in the form of a plate with tapered end portions. Further, the guide protrusion 53 is formed on the lower surface of the slide lock piece 48 so as to fit in the guide groove 54 of the slider holder 37.

Accordingly, the lock slider 36 includes the guide protrusion 53 of the slide lock piece 48 fitted to the guide recess 47 to the guide groove 54 and the guide rib 38 to be fitted. In the state fitted to the engaging groove 39, the slider holder 37 is supported while being slidably moved. At this time, the lock slider 36 supported by the slider holder 37 faces the respective side surfaces 612d and 612e of the ink cartridge 611 inserted into the attachment / detachment device 1. Further, when the guide protrusion 53 is moved toward the horizontal portion 56 along the inclined portion 55, the slide lock piece 48 moves inwardly from the guide recess portion 47 (the ink cartridge). Toward the movement trajectory of 611). When the guide protrusion 53 is positioned on the horizontal portion 56, a state in which a portion of the slide lock piece 48 protrudes from the guide recess 47 is maintained.

The engagement hook 40 is formed on the lock slider 36. The engagement hook 40 is positioned at a position at which the engagement hook 40 is substantially the same height as the engagement hook 41 when the lock slider 36 is disposed on the slider holder 37. do. The engaging hook 40 has a hook-like shape, the distal end of which protrudes toward the flow path member 4. The distal end of the extraction spring 42 is retained on the respective engagement hooks 40 and 41. In this embodiment, the extraction spring 42 is composed of a tension coil spring. When the extraction spring 42 is engaged between the engagement hooks 40 and 41 in a state where the lock slider 36 is attached to the slider holder 37, the lock slider 36 is attached / removed. It is pressed toward the opening of the device 1 (toward the side plate 37d). Therefore, when no external force is applied to the lock slider 36, the lock slider 36 is moved toward the opening by the pressing force of the extraction spring 42, and the guide protrusions of the slide lock piece 48 53 is located at the start end of the inclined portion 55.

A support 44 is also provided on the lock slider 36 to rotatably support the engagement pawl 43. The support 44 has a hole for receiving the rotary shaft 45 disposed at the proximal end of the engaging pawl 43. In addition, a locking spring 46, such as a torsion coil spring, is attached to the rotary shaft 45 to press the coupling pawl 43 toward the upper plate inner wall 37a of the slider holder 37.

The engaging pawl 43 is a member having a hook-shaped pawl at its distal end. An unlock pin 34, which is part of the unlock mechanism 33, is arranged on the outer surface of the pawl such that the engaging pawl 43 extends parallel to the rotatable axis of rotation. The lock slider 36 is formed with a guide recess 47 extending in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is mounted. The slide lock piece 48 is fitted to the guide recess 47 as described above.

The slide lock piece 48 is a flat plate member, and its distal end is cut into a crest shape so as to match the shape of the guide recess 47 to be fitted. The slide lock piece 48 has on its end face a guide protrusion 53 opposite the lower plate 37c of the slider holder 37. The guide protrusion is fitted into the guide groove 54 formed in the lower plate 37c of the slider holder 37. As the guide protrusion 53 is moved in the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 611 along the shape of the guide groove 54, the slide lock piece 48 is also in the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 611. The ink cartridge 611 slides in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 611.

That is, as shown in Figs. 4, 7, 8, 10, 12 and 14, the guide groove 54 has the inclined portion 55 on the side of the starting end where the ink cartridge is inserted, The horizontal portion 56 is provided on the end end side thereof. Further, the inclined portion 55 is gently inclined from the outside to the inside, and the horizontal portion 56 is continuous from the innermost end of the inclined portion 55 and maintains this innermost position and is parallel to the mounting direction. Direction is extended toward the terminal end side.

The guide protrusion 53 fitted to the guide groove 54 occupies the outermost position when the guide protrusion 53 is positioned at the start end. Thus, the ink cartridge 611 is insertable. The guide protrusion 53 occupies the innermost position when the guide protrusion 53 is positioned at the end of the inclined portion 55, so that the slide lock piece 48 is slid to the ink cartridge 611. Each of the coupling recesses 621 of FIGS. 2 and 38, which are formed at the side surfaces 612d and 612e, respectively, is entered. Thus, the ink cartridge 611 is held from both sides.

The slider holder 37 is a box-shaped member having a space therein for accommodating the lock slider 36. The slider holder 37 is held on a moving frame 58 having a door-shaped cross section, for example, and can slide together with the moving frame 58. A hook-shaped engaging rib 59 is formed on the inner wall of the upper plate 37a of the slider holder 37 and engages with the engaging pawl 43 rotatably attached to the lock slider 36. do. With this structure, the lock slider 36 and the slider holder 37 can be integrally coupled.

The slider holder 37 has an upper plate 37a, an intermediate plate 37b, a lower plate 37c and side plates 37d connected to these plates. The engaging rib 59 is formed on the inner side of the distal end of the upper plate 37a. The distal end of the coupling rib 59 is formed in a hook shape. The intermediate plate 37b has the guide rib 38 protruding outward (from the coupling rib 59 side) and substantially parallel to the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is inserted. The side plate 37d also has an engaging hook 41 which is located at a position slightly higher than the guide rib 38. The engaging hook 41 is formed in a hook shape, and the distal end thereof protrudes outward.

As described above, the guide groove 54 is formed in the horizontal plane of the lower plate 37c. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide groove 54 has an inclined portion 55 and a horizontal portion 56. The inclined portion 55 is located closer to the opening side of the attachment / detachment device 1 than the horizontal portion 56. The inclined portion 55 is gently inclined inwardly (toward the side where the coupling rib 59 is formed) while advancing from the opening side to the flow passage member 4 side. The horizontal portion 56 continues from the inclined portion 55 and extends from the inclined portion 55 toward the flow path member 4.

The slider holder 37 is held on a moving frame 58 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) having a flat plate 58a (see FIG. 4). Specifically, the movable frame 58 is a flat plate 58a located on the lower side of the main frame 62 and a curved portion 58b formed on each end of the flat plate 58a (FIG. 6). Reference). Also, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the curved portions 58b are connected to the slider holders 37 provided on both sides of the flat plate 58a, respectively, so that the movable frame 58 The slider holder 37 is held firmly together. In addition, the movable frame 58 is movable relative to the main frame 62. In this arrangement, the slider holder 37 can be slidably moved with the moving frame 58 with respect to the main frame 62.

The outer surface of the slider holder 37 is open. After the lock slider 36 and the extraction spring 42 are received, the subframe 60 is used to block the open area from the outside. Each of the subframes 60 is a part of the fixing frame 61 and is attached to the main frame 62 of the fixing frame 61 by screws.

The subframe 60 is disposed on the slider holder 37 which holds the lock slider 36. The subframe 60 is fixed with respect to the main frame 62. An unlocking piece 35 is securely attached to the substantial center portion of the subframe 60. The unlocking piece 35 has an elastic tongue piece 63 which is a leaf spring inclined towards the flow path member 4.

The flow path member 4 is attached to the rear end surface of the subframe 60 so as to be connected to the ink cartridge 611. The flow path member 4 has a needle 4a inserted into the needle opening of the ink cartridge 611, an ink supply path and a contact point for detecting the ink remaining amount.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 3, six needles 4a are formed in the flow path member 4 and inserted into the insertion holes 616a of the ink cartridge 611. In addition, first and second insertion needles 4b and 4c are formed in the flow path member 4 and fitted into the first and second fitting holes 617 and 618 of the ink cartridge 611. An introduction needle 4d is also formed in the flow path member 4 and inserted into the introduction support 620 of the ink cartridge 611. 4, the terminal arrangement | positioning part 4e is formed in the lower part of the said flow path member 4. As shown in FIG. A terminal (not shown) is provided to the terminal placing portion 4e, and is attached to the substrate recess portion 619 of the ink cartridge 611 when the ink cartridge 611 is fixed to the flow path member 4. Connected to the circuit board.

The flexible unlocking piece 35 is part of the unlocking mechanism 33 and is attached to the subframe 60. The flexible unlocking piece 35 is a member like a leaf spring member and has an elastic tongue piece 63 extending obliquely upward. The elastic deformation of the elastic tongue piece 63 is used to distinguish the movement trajectory of the unlocking pin 34 with respect to the mounting direction and the removal direction of the ink cartridge 611.

That is, as the elastic tongue piece 63 is bent downward, the unlocking pin 34 may be moved in the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is mounted while the height of the pin 34 is maintained. Alternatively, when the unlocking pin 34 is moved in the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is removed, the elastic tongue piece 63 is not curved upward because of the direction in which the elastic tongue piece 63 is inclined. . Thus, in this case, the unlocking pin 34 is moved downward and the movement trajectory of the unlocking pin 34 is changed. Thus, the engaging pawl 43 integrally formed with the unlocking pin 34 is rotated downward to separate from the engaging rib 59.

The main frame 62 forms a frame of the main body 3 of the recording apparatus. As shown in Fig. 2, the structure of the main frame 62 is reinforced by using a flat plate in which the movable frame 58 is slidably contacted and also by bending upwardly the outer edge portion of the flat plate. As shown in Fig. 3, in the main frame 62, a rotation pin 64 is disposed at the center in the rear portion and acts as a fulcrum of the lever arm 31 described later. In addition, a perforated holding hole 66 is formed next to the rotating pin 64 to hold one end of the bistable spring 65. In addition, the guide rib 67 extends in the width direction of the main body 3 near the front of the rotary pin 64. The guide rib 67 is obtained by vertically standing portions of the main frame 62.

In addition, in front of the rotating pin 64, an elongated guide slit 68 is formed perpendicular to the guide rib 67, and extends in the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is attached / detached. An engagement pin 69, which is provided vertically on the moving frame 58 located below, fits into the guide slit 68. With this structure, the moving frame 58 can be guided and moved in parallel along the inner wall of the sub frame 60 and the guide slit 68 formed in the main frame 62 without tilting. . On the left and right sides of the guide slit 68, a rotary pin 71 is provided vertically and serves as a rotation point for the coupling pinion 70 to be described later.

The lever arm 31 extends from the proximal end 72 toward the rear surface of the main body 3 and the proximal end 72 rotatably connected to the rotation pin 64 provided on the main frame 62. The arm main body 73 is provided, and the knob 74 attached to the distal end of the arm main body 73 is provided. The holding hole 85 is formed in the outer edge which protrudes from the side surface of the said base end 72. As shown in FIG. The retaining hole 85 is a torsion coil spring having a relatively large linear diameter and is used to hold one end of the bistable spring 65 that presses the lever arm 31 and is located at one of the right and left ends. .

A first pinion 75 having a fan shape, which is an example of a transmission member in the rotary slide mechanism 32, is attached to the lower surface of the base end 72. The first pinion 75 is rotated together with the lever arm 31 via a boost spring 87 (see FIG. 15) which is a torsion coil spring. The ratio of the distance between the point and the operating point of the lever arm 31 to the pitch circle radius R of the first pinion 75 is substantially employed as the lever ratio. In this embodiment, since the distance S between the point and the working point is significantly increased by employing the lever arm 31, a large lever ratio of S: R = 1: 0.12 is obtained.

Therefore, when the driving force required for the mounting of the ink cartridge 611 is 34.0N, the operating force applied to the lever arm 31 when the friction loss and the load applied on the bistable spring 65 are not taken into consideration. Only needs about 4.1N. In this embodiment, the rotation angle of the lever arm 31 is set to about 55 degrees, and the movement stroke of the ink cartridge 611 obtained according to the rotation angle is set to about 12 mm.

As shown in FIG. 15, two engagement holes 89 and an elongated stop hole 90 are formed with the lever arm 31 in the proximal end 72. Two engaging ribs 88, which are arc-shaped in plan view, are formed perpendicular to the upper surface of the first pinion and are fitted in the engaging holes 89. The elongated stop hole 90 is used to hold one end of the boost spring 87. Similar to the coupling rib 88, the coupling hole 89 is formed in an arc when viewed in plan, but the circumferential length of each coupling hole 89 is the circumferential length of each coupling rib 88 It is slightly longer and provides a gap 91 between them. The boost spring 87 is sandwiched and compressed between the proximal end 72 of the lever arm 31 and the first pinion 75, and the other end of the boost spring 87 is connected to the first pinion 75. It is held in the notch 92 formed in the outer edge of the.

As an example of the rotary slide mechanism 32, a rack pinion mechanism may be employed. In the present embodiment, the rotary slide mechanism 32 includes: a first pinion 75 which rotates together with the lever arm 31; Slide bar 78 having a first rack 76 that engages with the first pinion 75 and a second rack 77 that transfers the motion of the first rack 76 downstream along each transmission path. ; And a third rack 81 that meshes with the engagement pinion 70. Each of the coupling pinions 70 transfers a rotation of the second pinion 79 and the second pinion 79 that engages the second rack 77 downstream along the respective transmission paths. It is obtained by forming the pinion 80 integrally.

In this embodiment, each transmission path is formed by the second rack 77, the second pinion 79, the third pinion 80 and the third rack 81 and the lever arm 31. Are provided on both sides. Consistent with this arrangement, the slide bar 78 has a first rack 76 centered near the rotary pin 64 and the second rack 77 located at opposite right and left ends. . Note that the slide bar 78 is guided by the guide ribs 67 of the main frame 62 to reciprocate in the width direction of the main body 3.

Similar to the first pinion 75, the second pinion 79 and the third pinion 80 are formed in the form of a fan-shaped gear, with the phase displaced at about 90 °. Are combined to form the engagement pinion 70. The third pinion 80 passes through an annular opening of a semicircle formed in the main frame 62 and reaches a window 83 opened in the moving frame 58 located below, so that the window 83 is closed. Meshes with a third rack 81 formed at the side edge. In addition, the right and left coupling pinions 70 are rotated in the same direction, so that the second pinion 79, the third pinion 80 and the third rack 81 are arranged in the same orientation. .

As described above, the rotary slide mechanism 32 includes the lever arm 31 having a proximal end 72, the arm body 73, and a knob 74 as shown in FIG. 3. The proximal end 72 is formed in a flat plate shape, and the rotary pin 64 is substantially held in the center of the proximal end 72. The lever arm 31 is supported by the main frame 62 to rotate about the rotation pin 64. The retaining hole 85 is formed in an end surface of the base end 72, and one end of the bistable spring 65 is fixed to the retaining hole 85 to prevent the spring 65 from being removed. do. In the main frame 62, a penetrating holding hole 66 is formed in the vicinity of the proximal end 72 of the lever arm 31 to fix the other end of the bistable spring 65. . The bistable spring 65 supported by the holding holes 66 and 85 is a torsion coil spring or the like, and presses the lever arm 31 to one of the right and left ends.

The arm body 73 extends from the proximal end 72 toward the opening, and the knob 74 is located at the distal end of the arm body 73. The first pinion 75 is located below the lower surface of the proximal end 72 and is connected to the lever arm 31 to rotate as the lever arm 31 rotates.

In addition, in the main frame 62, the slider bar 78 is located at a position that can be engaged with the first pinion 75. The slide bar 78 is supported by the side of the rib 67 protruding from the main frame 62. The slide bar 78 has a first rack 76 provided near the proximal end 72 of the lever arm 31. The first rack 76 is located in a position that can engage the first pinion 75. Thus, as the lever arm 31 rotates to the right in FIG. 3, the first pinion 75 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3, and the slide bar 78 is the first pinion 75. And the first rack 76 is moved to the right in FIG. 3.

The slide bar 78 also has a second rack 77 which is located in two positions on the face opposite to the face on which the first rack 76 is formed. In the main frame 62, the engagement pinions 70 are provided to engage the second rack 77, respectively. Each of the engagement pinions 70 has a cover 70a, a second pinion 79 and a third pinion 80, all of which are supported by the rotary pin 71.

The second and third pinions 79 and 80 are made of fan-shaped gears, which are supported by the rotary pin 71 and the phases of the pinions 79 and 80 are different by about 90 °. . The second pinion 79 is positioned at a position to engage the corresponding second rack 77. Rotation of the second pinion 79 is transmitted to the third pinion 80 to rotate the third pinion 80 in the same direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the third pinion 80 may engage a corresponding third rack 81 of the moving frame 58 provided below the main frame 62. When the third pinion 80 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 4 (clockwise in FIG. 3), the moving frame 58 is engaged because the third pinion 80 is engaged with the third rack 81. ) Slides toward the passage member 4.

As shown in FIG. 3 and described above, the guide slit 68 is formed substantially in the center of the main frame 62 and extends parallel to the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is inserted. The engaging pin 69 protruding from the moving frame 58 is slidably fitted into the guide slit 68. Therefore, the movable frame 58 is held on the inner surface of the subframe 60 provided on both sides of the movable frame 62, and the coupling pin 69 is fitted to the guide slit 68. It is moved parallel without tilting.

The operation of the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device 1 in this arrangement will be described below.

(1) before insertion (see FIGS. 2-5)

Before the ink cartridge 611 is inserted into the main body 3 of the recording apparatus, as shown in Fig. 3, the lever arm 31 is positioned at the leftmost position. In this state, the lock slider 36 is located closest to the start end, and the engagement pawl 43 is in contact with the inner wall of the upper plate 37a of the slider holder 37. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide protrusion 53 is located at the start end position, which is the outermost position in the inclined portion 55 of the guide groove 54. Therefore, the slide lock piece 48 is accommodated in the guide recess 47 so that insertion of the ink cartridge 611 is permitted.

That is, the lock slider 36 of the cartridge holding mechanism 30 before insertion of the ink cartridge 611, that is, when the ink cartridge 611 has not yet been mounted on the attachment / detachment device 1. Is pressed toward the opening of the attachment / detachment device 1 by the pressing force of the extraction spring 42. Thus, the guide protrusion 53 of the slide lock piece 48 is located at the start end (inclined portion 55) of the guide groove 54. The engaging pawl 43 is pressed toward the upper plate 37a by the lock spring 46 so that the distal end of the engaging pawl 43 is in contact with the lower surface of the upper plate 37a. As shown in FIG. 3, the lever arm 31 of the rotary slide mechanism 32 is located in the leftmost position.

(2) Start of insertion (see FIG. 7)

When the ink cartridge 611 is manually inserted from the opening in the rear surface of the main body 3 of the recording apparatus, the driving ribs 622 formed on the two side surfaces 612d and 612e of the ink cartridge 611 are formed. The contact surface 625 of the distal end comes into contact with the end face of the lock slider 36 in which the guide recess 47 is formed, and the lock slider 36 is opposed to the pressing force of the extraction spring 42. Slowly push it forward. Accordingly, the guide protrusion 53 is moved along the inclined portion 55 and the horizontal portion 56 of the guide groove 54 forward in the main body 3. As the guide protrusion 53 is moved forward, the slide lock piece 48 gradually moves inward to protrude.

That is, when the ink cartridge 611 is manually inserted through the insertion port of the inkjet printer 100 and slides at a predetermined distance, the lock slider 36 partially contacts the contact surface 625 of the case 612. Contact. In detail, the contact surface 625 of the case 612 near the lock slider 36 comes into contact with a part of the lock slider 36 (the part where the guide recess 47 is formed). . At this time, since the contact surface 625 protrudes from the case 612, in order for the contact surface 625 to contact the lock slider 36, the ink cartridge 611 is attached to the attachment / detachment device 1. It just needs to be pushed inside. Also, at this time, as shown in FIG. 7A, the lock slider 36 is pressed toward the opening of the attachment / detachment device 1 by the pressing force of the extraction spring 42, as shown in FIG. 7B. Likewise, the guide protrusion 53 of the slide lock piece 48 is located at the start end of the inclined portion 55.

When the ink cartridge 611 is pushed further against the pressing force of the extraction spring 42, the lock slider 36 is moved, and the guide protrusion 53 of the slide lock piece 48 is inclined. Slide along 55 to the right in FIG. 7B. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7A, the distal end of the coupling pawl 43 slides along the lower surface of the upper plate 37a of the slide holder 37.

(3) completion of insertion (see FIGS. 8A and 8B)

When the ink cartridge 611 is pushed in completely, a "click" sound is generated, and the engaging pawl 43 moves over the outer ridge of the engaging rib 59 to engage with the engaging rib 59. In this state, the lock slider 36 is integrally coupled with the slider holder 37 so that the guide protrusion 53 reaches the end of the horizontal portion 56 of the guide groove 54. The slide lock piece 48 completely protrudes inward, and enters the engaging recess 621 formed on both side surfaces 612d and 612e of the ink cartridge 611. In this way, the ink cartridge 611 is kept locked by the lock slider 36.

That is, if the ink cartridge 611 is pushed further from the state shown in Fig. 7, the guide protrusion 53 slides along the horizontal part 56, so that the horizontal part 56 is shown in Fig. 8B. Reaches the end of. As a result, the slide lock piece 48 protrudes toward the ink cartridge 611. At this time, since the contact surface 625 and the lock slider 36 are in contact with each other, the engaging recess 621 and the slide lock piece 48 are positioned relative to each other, and are substantially the same position. Is located in. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, the protruding slide lock piece 48 partially enters the engaging recess 621 (combined state). When the guide protrusion 53 reaches the end of the horizontal portion 56, as shown in FIG. 8A, the engagement pawl 43 is formed on the upper plate 37a of the slide holder 37. Passed over the back surface of the coupling rib 59, which is coupled to the coupling rib 59. Since the slide lock piece 48 is engaged with the engaging recess 621 and the engaging pawl 43 is engaged with the engaging rib 59, the ink cartridge 611 is connected to the lock slider 36. Is locked relative to the slider holder 37. That is, the ink cartridge 611, the lock slider 36, and the slider holder 37 are fixed to each other. At this time, the state of the rotary slide mechanism 32 does not change as compared with before the ink cartridge 611 is inserted.

(4) Mounting (see FIGS. 9 and 10)

As shown in FIG. 9, when the lever arm 31 is gradually rotated to the right by using the knob 74 of the lever arm 31, the first pinion 75 is rotated, and the rotational force is the first force. It is transmitted to the rack 76 to move the slide bar 78 to the right. Then, a force is transmitted from the second rack 77 to the second pinion 79 and the third pinion 80 so that these pinions 79 and 80 are rotated clockwise in FIG. 9. Thus, the third rack 81 which meshes with the third pinion 80 and the moving frame 58 having the third rack 81 are moved backwards. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the unlocking pin 34 is located in front of the elastic tongue piece 63 of the flexible unlocking piece 35 and moves forward along the upper movement trajectory. do. The slide lock piece 48 is currently protruding and is located in the engagement recess 621. Thus, the ink cartridge 611 is kept locked by the lock slider 36.

That is, in order to mount the ink cartridge 611, by holding the knob 74 of the lever arm 31 as shown in Fig. 9, the lever arm 31 is the bistable spring in the state of Fig. It is rotated to the right (counterclockwise) against the pressing force of 65. The first pinion 75 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 9 so that the slide bar 78 with the first rack 76 that engages the first pinion 75 is moved to the right in FIG. 9. .

As the slide bar 78 is moved, rotational force is transmitted to the second pinion 70 and the third pinion 80, so that the second pinion 79 and the third pinion 80 are shown in FIG. Rotate clockwise at. As a result, the movable frame 58 having the third rack 81 engaged with the third pinion 80 is moved toward the flow path member 4. Since the slider holder 37 held on the moving frame 58 is also moved toward the flow path member 4, the ink cartridge which is locked by the slider holder 37 and the lock slide 36 ( 611 is also moved towards the flow path member 4.

As shown in FIG. 10A, as the lock slider 36 is moved by the rotational movement of the lever arm 31, the lock slider 36 is formed on the engagement pawl 43 of the cartridge holding mechanism 30. An unlocking pin 34 slides along the elastic tongue piece 63 of the unlocking piece 35 to gradually move toward the upper portion of the elastic tongue piece 63 while elastically deforming the elastic tongue piece 63. do.

(5) completion of mounting (see FIGS. 11, 12 and 15)

As shown in Fig. 11, when the lever arm 31 is rotated to the rightmost position, the ink cartridge 611 is further moved rearward, and the needle 4a formed on the flow path member 4 is It is inserted into the needle opening of the ink cartridge 611. Specifically, when the lever arm 31 is rotated to the right in FIG. 11, the ink cartridge comes into contact with the flow path member 4 at a position slightly before the right end thereof, and the first pinion 75 is Is stopped. In this state, when the lever arm 31 is further rotated to the right side, the boosting spring 87 is compressed, and a gap appearing in the rotational direction downstream from the coupling hole 89 by the reaction force of the spring 87 91) is removed. At the same time, instability due to tolerances in the size of the parts is eliminated. In addition, by the pressing force of the pressure spring 87, the ink cartridge 611 is strongly pushed into close contact with the flow path member 4, and the lever arm 31 is the bistable spring 65. Since it is fixed by the pressing force of, the close contact between the ink cartridge 611 and the flow path member 4 is maintained. As a result, the mounting of the ink cartridge 611 is completed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12A, the unlocking pin 34 passes over the elastic tongue piece 63 and is located behind these pieces 63. Further, the slide lock piece 48 protrudes, so that the ink cartridge 611 is held by the lock slider 36.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the lever arm 31 is rotated to the rightmost position, the ink cartridge 611 is moved together with the moving frame 58 to enter the flow path member 4. . The needle 4a of the passage member 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 616a formed in the support 616 of the ink cartridge 611. At this time, as described above, since the engaging recess 621 is engaged with the slide lock piece 48, the ink cartridge 611 is driven by the lock slider 36 and the slider holder 37. maintain. In addition, since the adjacent portions 617a and 618a come into contact with the flow passage member 4, the ink cartridge 611 is supported by the flow passage member 4. That is, the ink cartridge 611 is held by the recess portion 621 coupled with the slide lock piece 48 and the adjacent portions 617a and 618a in contact with the flow path member 4. In addition, the coupling recess 621, the adjacent portion 618a, and the substrate recess 619 are sequentially disposed at a relative distance in the height direction H of the ink cartridge 611. A moment of force is generated in the direction in which the substrate recess 619 is pressed against the terminal placing portion 4e. As a result, the connection between the circuit board and the terminal arrangement portion 4e attached to the substrate recess 619 can be stabilized. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13A, the unlocking pin 34 passes over the elastic tongue piece 63 to reach the rear surface of the elastic tongue piece 63.

(6) Removal (see FIGS. 13 and 14)

When the lever arm 31 is moved from the rightmost position to the left side as shown in FIG. 13, the unlocking pin 34 moves downward along the inclined portion of the elastic tongue piece 63 as shown in FIG. 14A. Is passed along the lower travel trajectory and passes under the piece 63 to reach the front of the piece 63. At this time, the engaging pawl 43 formed integrally with the unlocking pin 34 is rotated downward against the pressing force of the lock spring 46 to be removed from the engaging rib 59. Then, when the lever arm 31 is moved to the leftmost position shown in FIG. 3, the ink cartridge 611 is pressed by the pressing force of the extraction spring 42 and the bistable spring 65 to the main body 3. At a distance of 22 mm or more from the rear end of the. Thus, the ink cartridge 611 is removed.

That is, in the extraction of the ink cartridge 611, the lever arm 31 located at the rightmost position shown in FIG. 11 is moved to the left (clockwise in FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 13, when the lever arm 31 is moved to the left, the first pinion 75 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 13, and the slide bar 78 is moved to the left in FIG. 13. do. As the slide bar 78 moves to the left, the second and third pinions 79 and 80 are rotated counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the moving frame 58 having the third rack 81 that engages with the third pinion 80 is moved toward the side opposite to the flow path member 4. Therefore, the ink cartridge 611 fixed to the moving frame 58 through the lock slider 36 is separated from the flow path member 4, and the needle 4a is removed from the insertion hole 616a. Removed.

As shown in FIG. 14A, when the lock slider 36 is separated from the flow path member 4 by a predetermined distance, the unlocking pin 34 comes into contact with the rear surface of the elastic tongue piece 63. As the lock slider 36 is gradually separated from the flow path member 4, the unlocking pin 34 slides along the back surface of the elastic tongue piece 63, thereby lowering the elastic tongue piece 63. Reach the end. As a result, the engagement pawl 43 is rotated downward against the pressing force of the lock spring 46.

When the lever arm 31 is rotated to the leftmost position, the engagement pawl 43 is separated from the engagement rib 59, and by the extraction spring 42 the lock slider 36 is attached to the attachment / It is pressed toward the opening of the detachment apparatus (to the side plate 37d side of the slider holder 37). Thus, the lock slider 36 comes into contact with the contact surface 625 of the ink cartridge 611 to push the ink cartridge 611 toward the opening. In addition, when the guide protrusion 53 of the slide lock piece 48 is moved from the horizontal portion 56 to the inclined portion 55, the slide lock piece 48 is moved to the ink cartridge 611. It is released from the coupling recess 621. As a result, the ink cartridge 611 is brought into a state where engagement is released from the lock slider 36. When the slide lock piece 48 is completely separated from the engaging recess 621 of the ink cartridge 611, the ink cartridge 611 is transferred to the flow path by using the pressing force of the bistable spring 65 again. The side opposite to the member 4 is extracted.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) In this embodiment, the engaging recess 621 and the pressing rib 622 are side surfaces 612d and 612e of the case 612 (receiving portion 614) of the ink cartridge 611. It is formed inside). Moreover, the front surface of the said 1st rib 623 which comprises the said pressurization rib 622 is defined as the contact surface 625 which contacts the said lock slider 36. As shown in FIG.

When the ink cartridge 611 is inserted into the attachment / detachment device 1, the contact surface 625 comes into contact with the lock slider 36 such that the lock slider 36 is in the slider holder 37. Is moved. In addition, as the lock slider 36 is moved, the slide lock piece 48 protruding toward the movement trajectory of the ink cartridge 611 is engaged with the engaging recess 621. In this way, the case 612 is fixed to the lock slider 36. Therefore, only by inserting the ink cartridge 611 into the attachment / detachment device 1, the ink cartridge 611 can be easily fixed to the lock slider 36. Further, since the lock slider 36 is fixed to the slider holder 37 by engagement between the engagement pawl 43 and the engagement rib 59, the ink cartridge 611 is the lock slider 36 And a slider holder 37. Further, the ink cartridge 611 fixed to the lock slider 36 and the slider holder 37 is moved by driving the rotary slide mechanism 32 to be fixed to the flow path member 4, so that the ink The cartridge 611 can be easily connected (fixed) to the flow path member 4 in a stable operation.

(2) In this embodiment, since the contact surface 625 of the case 612 projects out of the case 612, the ink cartridge 611 is inserted into the attachment / detachment device 1. In this case, the contact surface 625 may easily and reliably contact the lock slider 36.

(3) In this embodiment, the engaging recess 621 is provided in the side surfaces 612d and 612e of the case 612 in the form of a recess. Therefore, the engaging recess 621 is engaged with the slide lock piece 48 by entering the slide lock piece 48 into the engaging recess 621. Therefore, the case 612 can be fixed to the lock slider 36 with certainty.

(4) In this embodiment, the side surface of the engaging recess 621 near the rear surface 612f is formed to be continuous with the contact surface (front surface) 625 of the first rib 623. In this arrangement, when the ink cartridge 611 is inserted, the contact surface 625 contacts the lock slider 36 so as to position the slide lock piece 48 and the engaging recess 621 relatively accurately. Can be. Therefore, the slide lock piece 48 and the engaging recess 621 can be aligned at substantially the same position in the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is inserted, so that the slide lock piece 48 is engaged with the engaging piece. It may be easily entered into the recess 621.

(5) In this embodiment, the second rib 624 is provided on the first rib 623 having the contact surface 625. Therefore, when the lock slider 36 is in contact with the contact surface 625, the second rib 624 is prevented from damaging the contact surface 625 or the first rib 623 to the first rib 623. ) Can be reinforced.

(6) In this embodiment, the introduction support portion 620 used to introduce waste ink, the substrate recess portion 619 for attaching the circuit board, the first and second fitting holes 617, 618 and the support 616 are provided on the case 612 of the ink cartridge 611. In this arrangement, since the introduction support 620 is formed to be connected to the waste liquid absorbing portion, the ink cartridge 611 can be used as a waste ink reservoir in which waste ink is held. In addition, when the circuit board is attached to the ink cartridge 611, ink attribute information may be stored. In addition, the first and second fitting holes 617 and 618 may be employed to position the ink cartridge 611. Moreover, when the adjacent portions 617a and 618a are in contact with the flow path member 4, the position of the ink cartridge 611 in the insertion direction can be determined. That is, when the introduction support part 620, the substrate recess 619, the first and second fitting holes 617 and 618 and the adjacent parts 617a and 618a are formed, the ink cartridge ( 611 may be improved.

(7) In the present embodiment, the coupling recess 621, the attachment surface of the substrate recess 619, and the adjacent portion 618a are in the height direction of the bottom surface 612c of the case 612. They are located in the order listed with their relative distance from. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 611 is connected to the flow path member 4, a moment of force is applied in the direction in which the substrate recess 619 is pressed against the terminal placing portion 4e, so that the substrate The connection of the circuit board attached to the recess 619 and the terminal arrangement part 4 can be stabilized.

(8) In the present embodiment, in the case 612, the engaging recess 621 and the contact surface 625 are adjacent to the lock slider 36 and the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is inserted It is provided on a plane parallel to. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 611 is inserted, the lock slider 36 can be easily contacted with the contact surface 625.

(9) In this embodiment, the rotary slide mechanism 32 faces the moving frame 58 to the flow path member 4 (ie, in the direction in which the ink cartridge 611 is removed). When the lever arm 31 is rotated to move, the flexible piece 63 is used to disengage the engagement pawl 43 from the engagement rib 59, so that the lock slider 36 and the The fixed state of the slider holder 37 is released. In addition, when the lock slider 36 is pressed toward the opening of the attachment / detachment device 1 by the extraction spring 42, the slide lock piece 48 of the lock slider 36 becomes the ink cartridge 611. And exit from the coupling recess 621. In this arrangement, the ink cartridge 611 in a fixed state during mounting can be easily taken out from the attachment / detachment device 1.

This embodiment may be modified as follows.

(1) In this embodiment, the engaging recess 621 is formed in a square in the case 612. However, grooves extending in the height direction may be formed in the side surfaces 612d and 612e of the case 612. In short, any shape can be employed as long as at least a portion of the slide lock piece 48 can be engaged.

(2) In this embodiment, the pressing rib 622 is formed in the case 612 in a substantially L-shape. However, other shapes may be employed, for example simple square protrusions may be employed. Also, the second rib 624 may be omitted only if the required strength can be obtained by the first rib 623.

(3) In this embodiment, six ink packs 613 are provided in the case 612 as the ink cartridge 611. However, this arrangement is not limited to this, and any configuration may be employed as long as one type or two or more types of ink can be accommodated in the case. For example, the ink cartridge 611 may include an ink receiving portion formed by adhering a film or films to the case 612 instead of the ink pack 613.

(4) In this embodiment, an ink jet printer is employed as the liquid jet device. However, other types of liquid ejecting devices, ie printing devices such as facsimile machines or copiers; A liquid jet device for injecting a liquid such as an electrode material or a color material which is employed to manufacture a liquid crystal display, an electroluminescent display, or a flat panel field emission display; A liquid spray device for spraying a bioorganic material used for manufacturing a biochip; Alternatively, other types of liquid injection devices, such as sample injection devices such as precision pipettes, may be employed. The fluid (liquid) employed is not defined in the ink, and other fluids may be employed.

(Variation)

The ink cartridge attachment / detachment apparatus and the recording apparatus including the attachment / detachment apparatus according to the present invention basically adopt the above-described configuration. However, the configuration may be modified or partially omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention. Firstly, three modifications (first to third modifications) provided with ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means, secondly, another modification (fourth modification) provided with creep load reducing means, and thirdly The modification example in which the parts are slightly deformed will be described.

Further, after explaining the modification (fifth modification) in which the ink cartridge insertion state determination means is provided, and after that, the modification (fifth modification) in which the ink cartridge misalignment warning means is provided, The variation in which the parts are slightly deformed will be described.

(First modification)

16 is a rear view of the inkjet printer with the lid member closed. 17 is a rear view of the inkjet printer with the lid member open and the lever arm positioned at a set position. 18 is a rear view of the inkjet printer with the lid member open and the lever arm positioned in a reset position. 19 is an enlarged bottom perspective view around the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means. 20A to 20C are bottom views of an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means when the ink cartridge is normally inserted. 21A and 22B are bottom views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means when the ink cartridge is misinserted. Fig. 22 is a bottom view showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention means when the ink cartridge is inserted while the cartridge holding means of only one side is operated.

In this modification, the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 101 is provided in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment apparatus 1. The ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 101 has the lever arm 31 positioned at the installation position shown in Fig. 17 in which the lever arm 31 is supposed to be positioned when the mounting of the ink cartridge 611 is completed. If the lever arm 31 is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position shown in FIG. 18 where mounting of the ink cartridge 611 is permitted, misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611 is prevented. In addition, the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 101 prevents the insertion of the ink cartridge 611 when the cartridge holding unit 30 of only one side as shown in FIG. 22 is operated.

In detail, each of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention units 101 includes: a misinsertion prevention protrusion 102; And the slide lock piece 48 and the guide groove 54 described above. The misinsertion preventing protrusion 102 is formed using a portion of the subframe of the fixed frame 61 and protrudes toward the lock slider 36. Unlike the previous embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, a horizontal portion 103 is provided at the front end and the rear end of the guide groove 54, and the front end of the guide groove 54. The horizontal portion 103 in the vicinity is long, while the horizontal portion 103 in the vicinity of the rear end is short. In addition, an inclined portion 104 is formed to connect the front and rear horizontal portions 103, and the length of the inclined portion 104 is considerably shorter than in the previous embodiment.

In addition to the shape of the guide groove 54, the position of the inclined portion 104 of the guide groove 54 and the position of the misinsertion preventing protrusion 102 are very important. That is, when the lever arm 31 is positioned at the installation position and the ink cartridge 611 is inserted, as shown in Fig. 21B, the slide lock piece 48 takes a movement trajectory, thereby preventing the misinsertion. In contact with the protrusion 102 to prevent the wrong insertion of the ink cartridge 611.

When the cartridge holding unit 30 of only one side is operated (only the left cartridge holding unit 30 is operated in FIG. 22), and the lever arm 31 is rotated from the reinstallation position to the installation position, the operation The slide lock piece 48 of the other cartridge holding unit 30 (the right cartridge holding unit 30 in FIG. 22), which is not on the other side, takes a movement trajectory and contacts the misinsertion preventing protrusion 102 so as to contact the ink. The insertion of the cartridge 611 is prevented.

Therefore, since the ink cartridge 611 is inserted in an incomplete inclined state as shown in FIG. 22, the cartridge sensor 105 is detected to be wrong and incorrect insertion of the ink cartridge 611 occurs, so that mounting is not completed. Notify the user. As shown in Fig. 20, when the ink cartridge 611 is inserted in the correct state in which the lever arm 31 is positioned in the reinstallation position, the slide lock piece 48 is connected with the misinsertion preventing protrusion 102. The coupling recess 621 may be reached without contact. As a result, the ink cartridge 611 can be held by the cartridge holding unit 30.

In this form, erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge 611 caused by the positional difference of the lever arms 31 hardly occurs in the ink attachment / detachment device of the present modification. In addition, the size of the slider holder 37 need not be strictly and precisely designed to prevent the ink cartridge 611 from tilting, and a structure for maintaining a complicated posture is not necessary. Only because of the relatively simple cam groove structure, misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611 can be prevented, and usability can be improved.

(Second modification)

23 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit including a collision avoidance unit. 24A to 24C are side cross-sectional views showing an operation state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit in which the ink cartridge is misinserted while the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position. 25A to 25C are side cross-sectional views showing an operation state of an ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit into which an ink cartridge is inserted while the lever arm is positioned at a reinstallation position. 26A to 26C are side cross-sectional views showing an operation state of an ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit having no collision avoidance unit in which the ink cartridge is misinserted while the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position. 27A to 27C are side cross-sectional views showing an operating state of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit into which an ink cartridge is inserted while the lever arm is positioned at a reinstallation position.

In this modification, an ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 201 is provided in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment apparatus 1. The ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 201 has the same configuration as the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 101 in the first modification except that the collision avoidance unit 202 is further provided.

When the ink cartridge 611 is inserted while the lever arm 31 is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position, the collision avoidance unit 202 is released from the unlock pin 34 and the flexible unlocking piece 35. ), And prevents the unlocking piece 35 from being bent by the collision. In detail, the collision avoidance unit 202 includes: a collision avoidance protrusion 203 which rotates together with the coupling pawl 43; And a contact surface 204 formed integrally with the engagement rib 59 that engages with the engagement pole 43 and in contact with the collision avoidance protrusion 203.

As shown in Figs. 23 to 25, the collision avoidance protrusion 203 is formed on the engagement pawl 43 near the rotation shaft 45, and has an ellipse shape when viewed from the side. When the collision avoidance convex portion 203 is in contact with the contact surface 204, the height of the unlocking pin 34 is smaller than the height of the flexible unlocking piece 34. In this arrangement, as shown in Figs. 24A to 24C, when the ink cartridge 611 is inserted while the lever arm 31 is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position, the unlocking pin 34 is The normal rotational trajectory of the engagement pawl 43, which impinges on the flexible unlocking piece 35, is corrected, for example, the unlocking pin 34 is an avoiding rotation passing under the flexible unlocking piece 35. The trajectory is taken.

As shown in Figs. 25A to 25C, when the lever arm 31 is positioned in the reinstallation position, the state in which the collision avoidance protrusion 203 is in contact with the contact surface 204 is terminated at an initial stage. However, in the step before the unlocking pin 34 collides with the flexible unlocking piece 35, the engaging pawl 43 has already been engaged with the engaging rib 59, so that the unlocking pin 34 ) And a collision between the flexible unlocking piece 35 can be avoided.

With this configuration, the following defects can be eliminated. It is assumed that the collision avoidance unit 202 is not provided. In this case, collision between the unlocking pin 34 and the unlocking piece 35 can be avoided as long as the lever arm 31 is positioned in the reinstallation position in FIG. 27. However, when the lever arm 31 is positioned in a position other than the reinstallation position in Fig. 26, these unlocking pins and unlocking pieces 34 and 35 collide with each other so that the unlocking piece 35 is deformed.

(Third modification)

28 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the lever arm is located at a position other than the reinstallation position. Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the lever arm is positioned at the reinstallation position. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit. 31 is a rear view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit when the lever arm is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position. 32A is a plan view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit in a state in which the lever arm is located at a position other than the reinstallation position, and FIG. 32B is a view of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit in a state in which the lever arm is located in the reinstallation position. Top view. 33A and 33B are bottom perspective views of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit.

In this modification, an ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 301 is provided in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment apparatus 1. Each of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention units 301 is in a retracted position allowing the insertion of the ink cartridge 611 when the lever arm 31 is placed in a reinstallation position or the lever arm 31 in a reinstallation position. When it is located at a position other than the above, a misinsertion prevention flap 302 adopting a protruding posture forbidding the insertion of the ink cartridge 611 is provided. Further, each of the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention units 301 has a rotational direction change mechanism 303 for converting the horizontal movement of the lever arm 31 into the vertical movement of the misinsertion prevention flap 302. do.

The misinsertion prevention flap 302 has a flap body 304, a rotating shaft 305 and a conversion cam follower 306, and a pressing force of the torsion coil spring 307 acting as a pressing means. By always adopts a protruding posture. The flap body 304 is a wing plate member that directly contacts the insertion end surface of the ink cartridge 611 and prevents misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611.

The rotating shaft 305 is provided at the proximal end of the flap body 304. The rotary shaft 305 is rotatably connected to the support portion 308 formed in the main frame 62 of the fixed frame 61, the axial direction of the rotary shaft 305 is the main frame 62 ) Is set in a direction corresponding to the width direction. The conversion cam follower 306 is provided on the output side of the rotation direction change mechanism 303 which will be described later and is provided with the rotation shaft 305 therebetween at an end opposite to the flap body 304. .

The rotation direction change mechanism 303 includes a trigger 310 that is rotated in a horizontal direction at a predetermined angle from the rotation pin 39 provided vertically from the upper surface of the main frame 62; The conversion cam follower 306 described above provided for the misinsertion prevention flap 302; And a torsion coil spring 311 (shown in FIG. 29), which is a pressing means for pressing the trigger 310 to continue to rotate toward the lever arm 301.

The trigger 310 has an arm 312 rotatably connected to the rotary pin 309 and extending in the radial direction; And a conversion operation unit 313 circumferentially extending from the distal end of the arm 312 toward the lever arm 31 and the misinsertion prevention flap 302. An input contact portion 314, which is in direct contact with the lever arm 31, is provided on the input side of the conversion operation unit 313, and is in contact with the conversion cam follower 306 of the misinsertion prevention flap 302. A cam face 315 is provided on the output side.

The conversion cam surface 315 contacts the conversion cam follower 306 to displace the misinsertion prevention flap 302 from the protruding posture to the retracting posture. In addition, the conversion cam surface 315 acts as a rotary stopper to maintain the protruding posture of the misinsertion prevention flap 302 when the ink cartridge 611 contacts the misinsertion prevention flap 302 in the protruding posture. do.

The ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 301 in this arrangement is operated as follows. As shown in FIGS. 31, 32A and 33A, when the lever arm 31 is positioned at a position other than the reinstallation position, the misinsertion prevention flap 302 reduces the pressing force of the torsion coil spring 307. FIG. And adopts a protruding posture perpendicular to the main frame 62. In this state, the user can visually understand that the insertion of the ink cartridge 611 is prohibited. In addition, since the trigger 310 is held by the rotation stopper action of the conversion cam surface 315, the misinsertion prevention flap 302 also does not physically allow the insertion of the ink cartridge 611.

As shown in FIGS. 32B and 33B, when the lever arm 31 is in the reinstalled position, the trigger 310 rotates clockwise in FIG. 32B while countering the pressing force of the torsion coil spring 311. do. Therefore, by the rotation direction changing action of the conversion cam surface 315 and the conversion cam follower 306, the misinsertion prevention flap 302 is moved vertically forward and parallel to the main frame 62. Adopt one retreat posture.

In this state, since no obstacle is visually and physically found with respect to the insertion of the ink cartridge 611, the insertion of the ink cartridge 611 becomes possible. Therefore, misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611 due to the positional difference of the lever arms can be prevented based on the visual embodiment and the physical point of view.

(Fourth modification)

34 is a perspective view of an ink cartridge attaching / detaching device having a creep load reducing unit. 35A is a back view of the state in which the lever arm is located in the installation position, and FIG. 35B is a back view of the state in which the lever arm is located in the installation standby position. 36 is a graph showing variation in reaction force applied to the ink cartridge by the flow path member. FIG. 37 is a graph showing a state where the insertion force of the ink cartridge is reduced after creep has occurred. FIG.

In this modification, a creep load reduction unit 401 is provided in the ink cartridge attachment / detachment device 1. The creep load reduction unit 401 has a function of reducing the creep load that is generated when the lever arm 31 stays in the installation position and is applied to individual sections of the main body 3 of the recording apparatus. Specifically, the creep load reduction unit 401 includes a tension coil spring 402 which is a pressing means for pressing the lever arm to rotate from the installation position to the reinstallation position; And a lever arm stop mechanism 403 for stopping the lever arm 31 in the installation standby position located rearward by a predetermined pitch from the installation position toward the reinstallation position.

In detail, the arm main body 73 of the said lever arm 31 is arrange | positioned so that the knob 74 may be moved upwards. Then, as shown in FIGS. 35A and 35B, the lever arm 31 that reaches the installation position while the knob 74 is released is automatically moved upward by the action of the arm body 73. Is rotated. In addition, the lever arm 31 rotated upward is horizontally directed toward the installation position by the pressing force of the tension coil spring 402 along the guide inclined portion 409 formed at the upper corner of the engagement notch 48 '. Is moved to. The lever arm 31 is then stopped and held in the installation standby position where the engagement pawl 410 fits into the engagement notch 48 '.

Therefore, when the lever arm 31 continues to stay in the installation position, it is possible to improve the state in which a large load is applied on the individual sections of the main body 3 to generate creep. Further, when the lever arm 31 is moved from the installation position to the installation standby position, the ink cartridge 611 is slightly retracted from the flow path member 4, but the predetermined amount required for mounting the ink cartridge 611 is provided. Driving force is obtained.

Referring to the graphs of FIGS. 36 and 37, a brief description will be made of a variation in reaction force applied to the ink cartridge 611 by the flow path member 4 and a state in which the insertion force to the ink cartridge 611 is reduced. do. 36 shows a variation in reaction force applied to the ink cartridge 611 by the flow path member 4. The horizontal axis represents the distance from the installation position of the lever arm 31, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of reaction force applied by the flow path member 4. As can be clearly seen from the graph, the reaction force becomes the maximum at the installation position, and gradually decreases as the lever arm 31 is disengaged from the installation position.

FIG. 37 shows a state where the force for inserting the ink cartridge 611 is reduced after creep generation. The horizontal axis represents the additional driving force additionally required due to the reduction of the insertion force of the ink cartridge 611, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the ink cartridge 611 insertion force. A, B and C indicate the state before creep occurrence, and a, b and c indicate the state after creep occurrence. As can be clearly seen from the graph, the insertion force of the ink cartridge 611 is reduced after creep generation. It can also be seen that a driving force considerably greater than the original force must be obtained to obtain the original insertion force after the creep has occurred. In this modification, since the creep load is considerably reduced, creep does not occur in the individual sections of the main body 3, and even if the ink cartridge 611 is repeatedly detached, the insertion of the ink cartridge 611 is prevented. Care must be taken that satisfactory strength is obtained.

(Fifth modification)

FIG. 41 is a rear view showing the attachment / detachment device 1 for the ink cartridge 611 including the ink cartridge insertion state determination unit 501 and the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504. As shown in FIG. 42 is a rear view showing the lever arm rotation limiting mechanism 502 when the lever arm is positioned at the rest position.

In this modification, the ink cartridge insertion state determination unit 501 is provided in the attachment / detachment device 1 for the ink cartridge 611. In the ink cartridge insertion state determining unit 501, when the user attempts to insert the ink cartridge 611 by more than a predetermined distance, the ink cartridge 611 is located at the predetermined position 500 before the ink cartridge is mounted. ), The user can determine whether the insertion state of the ink cartridge is normal or abnormal.

The ink cartridge insertion state determination unit 501 in this modification is inserted by providing the lever arm rotation limiting mechanism 502 that restricts rotation of the lever arm 31 from the reinstallation position toward the installation position. The ink cartridge 611 is configured to stop at a predetermined position 500.

The lever arm rotation limiting mechanism 502 is located near the installation position side of the resting position on the guide slit, that is, the guide for guiding the rotation of the lever arm 31, and prevents rotation of the lever arm 31. It has a restricting portion 503 which limits toward the installation position.

In general, a user tries to insert the ink cartridge 611 deeply (over a predetermined distance). During this insertion, the ink cartridge 611 is first held by the cartridge holding unit 30 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. That is, the ink cartridge 611 is made integral with the slide holder 37 and the moving frame 58. Then, by the insertion force of the user, the ink cartridge 611 is inserted deeper, so that the ink cartridge 611 proceeds beyond the predetermined position 500. Therefore, the moving frame 58 integral with the ink cartridge 611 at this time rotates the lever arm 31 toward the installation position via the coupling pinion 70 and the slide bar 78. However, since the bistable spring 65 or the tension coil spring 402 biases the lever arm 31, rotation of the lever arm 31 is suppressed. That is, the biasing force of the bistable spring 65 or of the tension coil spring 402 counters the user's ink cartridge insertion force through the moving frame 58. As a result, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the lever arm 31 is rotated toward the installation position and the ink cartridge 611 is stopped at the position before the ink cartridge 611 is mounted.

When the ink cartridge 611 is inserted in this manner, the ink cartridge 611 is not subjected to any contact feeling and the lever arm 611 is rotated slightly toward the installation position. Therefore, there is a possibility that the back or rear end 612f of the ink cartridge 611 can be inserted into the interior of the recording apparatus main body 3, in which case the user can visually check the state of the rear end 612f. Can't.

For this reason, it is difficult for the user to determine whether the insertion state of the ink cartridge 611 is normal or abnormal even when the user incorrectly inserts the ink cartridge, and the user rotates the lever arm 31 toward the installation position without correction. There is a possibility that you can. As a result, as shown in Fig. 22, only one side of the cartridge holding unit 30 is operated (hereinafter referred to as incorrect mounting) due to incorrect insertion of the ink cartridge 611 (the state of the ink cartridge) There is a possibility that it may be mounted in an abnormal insertion state).

Therefore, in the present modification, the restricting portion is located above the installation position of the repositioning position on the guide slit 407 for guiding the rotation of the lever arm 31 and restricts the rotation of the lever arm 31 toward the installation position. 503 is provided. In this modification, since the arm main body 73 of the lever arm 31 is curved so that the knob 74 side is biased and moved upwards (similar to the fourth modification), the guide slit 407 The limiting portion 503 disposed above) may limit the rotation of the lever arm 31 from the reinstallation position to the installation position (see FIG. 42). Thus, the movement of the rotary slide mechanism 32 in conjunction with the rotation of the lever arm 31 can be limited. That is, the ink cartridge may be stopped due to the contact feeling at the predetermined position 500 before the ink cartridge 611 is mounted.

At this time, the predetermined position 500 is a position before the ink cartridge 611 is held by the cartridge holding unit 30 and the ink cartridge 611 is mounted by the rotation of the lever arm 31. . Thus, the predetermined position 500 can be set to establish a state in which the rear end 612f of the ink cartridge 611 protrudes out of the recording apparatus main body 3. As a result, the user can visually check the rear end 612f of the ink cartridge 611, and can easily determine whether the insertion state of the ink cartridge 611 is normal or abnormal.

If the insertion state is abnormal, the ink cartridge 611 can be correctly inserted again. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the possibility that the ink cartridge 611 in an abnormally inserted state is incorrectly mounted by the rotation operation of the lever arm 31.

When the insertion state is normal, the knob 74 of the lever arm 31 is lowered once to release the restriction of the restriction portion 503, and then rotates to the installation position to accurately and securely rotate the ink cartridge 611. To be installed.

The restricting portion 503 may be formed to contact the lever arm 31 when the lever arm 31 is slightly rotated toward the installation position during insertion of the ink cartridge 611. In other words, a play may be provided to limit the rotation of the lever arm 31 toward the installation position. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 611 is inserted and a contact is made, the lever arm 31 is rotated to a degree corresponding to the play. As a result, the user can easily recognize that the contact is generated by the limiting portion 503 during the insertion of the ink cartridge 611. The user can then easily release the lever arm 31 from the restriction generated by the restriction 503.

As described above, since only the limiting portion 503 is formed at the rest position on the guide slit 407 for guiding the rotation of the lever arm 31, the lever arm rotation limiting mechanism 502 is a low cost component. It can be easily configured without increasing the number of parts.

(Sixth modification)

Although such a structure is employed as described above to avoid the abnormal insertion state of the ink cartridge 611, it is difficult to completely avoid the abnormal insertion state of the ink cartridge 611 because the insertion operation is performed by the user. Therefore, there is a possibility that the ink cartridge 611 may be moved to the mounting position by the rotation of the lever 31, and the ink cartridge 611 which is incorrectly mounted may be left as it is. As a result, there is a possibility that an incomplete sealing state between the ink supply needle and the sealing rubber may cause ink leakage due to capillary action. Fig. 22 shows a state in which the ink cartridge 611 is incorrectly mounted.

As shown in Fig. 22, when only one side of the cartridge holding unit 30 is incorrectly mounted in the operated state (abnormal insertion state of the ink cartridge) due to misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611, the ink The rear end 612f of the cartridge 611 is inclined. In other words, the rear end portion 612fb of the ink cartridge 611 at the side where the cartridge holding unit 30 is not operated correctly is the rear end portion of the ink cartridge 611 at the side at which the cartridge holding unit 30 is correctly operated. 612fa is projected on the rear surface side (upward in FIG. 22). In this modification, the positional difference between the rear end 612fa at the side that is properly operated and the rear end 612fb at the side that is not properly operated is 4 mm.

This modification is provided with an ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504 that warns of misalignment of the ink cartridge 611 using the positional difference between the rear end 612fa and the rear end 612fb. Hereinafter, the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504 will be described.

43A and 43B are partial sectional views showing the operation mode of the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504.

In this modification, the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504 is provided in the attachment / detachment device 1 for the ink cartridge 611. The ink cartridge misloading warning unit 504 has a function of generating a warning to the user when the ink cartridge 611 is mismounted. In more detail, the ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504 includes a lead member 29 rotatable about a lead opening / closing point 510 to close the insertion opening 505 for the ink cartridge 611 and the A rib 506 is formed on the inner side of the lead member 29.

The rib 506 contacts the ink cartridge 611 when the ink cartridge 611 is incorrectly mounted and restricts rotation of the lid member 29 to prevent the lid member 29 from closing. It is arrange | positioned in the position which faces rear end part 612fa, 612fb near the left and right edge part of the lead member 29, respectively.

The ink cartridge misalignment warning unit 504 further includes a lead open / close detector 507 and an ink cartridge misalignment state controller 520 for detecting the opening and closing of the lid member 29.

The lid member opening / closing detector 507 contacts the protrusion 509 provided on the inner side of the lid member 29 when the lid member 29 is closed to detect the closing of the lid member 29. Has a piece 508. The lead opening / closing detector 507 in this modification is disposed in the insertion opening 505 facing the tip side (upper side of the drawing) of the lead member 29 so as to reliably detect the opening and closing of the lead member 29. have.

The ink cartridge misloading state controller 520 has a control function in which the recording apparatus main body is not operated until the lid member opening and closing detector 507 detects the closing of the lid member 29.

Fig. 43A shows a state in which the ink cartridge holding unit 30 is correctly operated at both sides (normally inserted state of the ink cartridge), and then the ink cartridge 611 is correctly mounted. First, the lead member 29c in an open state is rotated about the lead opening / closing point 510 in the direction of closing the insertion opening 505. At this time, the rear end portion 612f of the ink cartridge 611 is not inclined. That is, since the rear end 612f is located only at the position of the rear end 612fa, there is no possibility that the rib 506 contacts the rear end 612fa. The lead member may be further rotated in the same direction so that the protrusion 509 provided on the inner surface of the lead member 29 pushes the lever protrusion piece 508 of the lead member opening and closing detector 507. As a result, the lid member opening and closing detector 507 can detect the closing of the lid member 29a.

Fig. 43B shows a state in which the cartridge holding unit 30 is not operated correctly (abnormal insertion state of the ink cartridge), so that the ink cartridge 611 is incorrectly mounted without correction. In Fig. 40B, reference numerals 612fa and 612fb indicate that the rear end portion 612fa and the cartridge holding unit 30 are not operated correctly at the side where the cartridge holding unit 30 is correctly operated as shown in Fig. 22. Respectively corresponding to the said rear end part 612fb in the side which does not.

First, the lead member 29c in an open state is rotated about the lead opening / closing point in the direction of closing the insertion opening 505. Here, the rib 506 is provided on the inner side of the lead member 29 in the vicinity of the left and right ends (ends facing the rear ends 612fa, 612fb). Therefore, since one of the two ribs 506 contacts the rear end 612fb while the lead member 29 is rotating, the rib 506 prevents the rotation of the lead member 29 at this position. Stops the lead member 29b. As a result, the protrusion 509 cannot press the lever protrusion piece 508. That is, the lid member opening and closing detector 507 detects the closing of the lid member 29.

In addition, the lid member opening and closing detector 507 converts the fact that the lid member 29 is not closed into an electrical signal to notify the user of a warning displayed on an operation panel (not shown).

Further, by using the ink cartridge misloading state controller 520 (see FIGS. 43A and 43B), the recording device main body 3 allows the lid member opening and closing detector 507 to close the lid member 29. FIG. It cannot be operated until it is detected. Therefore, there is no possibility that the initial filling step in which the recording apparatus main body 3 charges the ink into the ink supply path provided in the recording head 13 is executed when the ink cartridge 611 is incorrectly mounted. Therefore, even if the ink cartridge 611 is incorrectly mounted, there is no possibility that the waste ink leaks out of the apparatus by the initial filling step or the like.

In the above embodiments and modifications, a single packaged ink cartridge 611 in which a plurality of color ink cartridges are formed integrally is employed. However, ink cartridges provided for each individual color may be employed, or two or three ink cartridge packages may be employed as the ink cartridge 611, respectively.

Also, two sets of the second pinion 79, the third pinion 80 and the third rack 81 may be arranged symmetrically on the lever arm 31. In addition, instead of the slide bar 78, an appropriate gear train may be provided to transmit the rotation of the first pinion 75 to the second pinion 79. Further, a stopper may be provided to allow insertion of the ink cartridge 611 only when the lever arm 31 is positioned in the position shown in FIG.

The stopper includes the ink cartridge misinsertion prevention unit 101, 201 or 301 described above, as well as a unit for electrically detecting misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611 to prohibit insertion, or the ink cartridge ( 611 and a unit for preventing misinsertion of the ink cartridge 611 by employing a coupling structure formed in both of the fixed frames 61.

As described above, according to the present invention, even when a single packaged ink cartridge in which a plurality of color ink cartridges are integrally employed, a large pressing force for reliably mounting the ink cartridge can be generated with extremely small force and ink There is provided an ink cartridge attachment / detachment device that can be easily removed and that the position of the mounted ink cartridge does not occur, and that the ink cartridge can be prevented from being incorrectly mounted. There is provided an ink cartridge that can be removed and removed.

Claims (115)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete In a liquid container for a liquid ejecting device having a liquid container container which can accommodate a liquid container and a slider having a lock and sliding in the insertion direction in which the liquid container is inserted while holding the liquid container in the liquid container container. In Inside the liquid container, A supply formed on the first sidewall of the liquid container, through which the liquid in the liquid receiving portion can flow out; A contact portion capable of contacting a portion of the slider to move the slider in the insertion direction; A coupling portion formed to engage with the lock portion of the slider, The contact portion and the engaging portion are formed on a second sidewall of the liquid container, the second sidewall intersecting the first sidewall. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The contact portion protrudes outward through a plane on which at least a portion of the second sidewall is placed. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The engaging portion has a recess 621 in the second sidewall, and the engaging portion and the lock portion engage with each other as the lock portion approaches the engaging portion. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, A contact surface formed on the contact portion and in contact with a portion of the slider is continuous with the surface of the engagement portion Liquid container. The method of claim 30, And a reinforcement provided on the second sidewall to reinforce the contact. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The liquid container is formed therein with at least one of an introduction portion through which liquid is introduced into the liquid container, a circuit board having a storage device, a positioning portion and an adjacent portion in contact with the liquid container containing portion. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, A circuit board disposed on the liquid container and having a storage device; An adjoining portion formed in the liquid container and in contact with the liquid container receiving portion, The coupling portion, the circuit board and the adjacent portion are arranged in the order listed at a relative distance from the bottom of the liquid container toward the top of the liquid container. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The contact portion and the engagement portion are located on a surface of the liquid container substantially parallel to the insertion direction and generally opposed to the slider Liquid container. An ink cartridge mountable on a recording apparatus, comprising: An upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and first and second sidewalls, One or more ink supply portions formed in the front wall; One or more ink receptacles defined within the cartridge and in fluid communication with each of the ink supplies; A first recess 621 recessed from the first side wall and for receiving a first portion of the recording apparatus; And a first protrusion 622 protruding from a first plane on which at least a portion of the first sidewall lies and comprising a first indentation surface. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 38, A second recess 621 recessed from the second side wall and for receiving another first portion of the recording apparatus; And a second protrusion 622 protruding from a second plane on which at least a portion of the second sidewall lies and including a second indentation surface. Ink cartridge. delete The method of claim 39, The first and second recesses 621 are located closer to the lower wall than the upper wall. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second recesses 621 are open at the lower wall. Ink cartridge. delete The method of claim 39, The first and second indentation surfaces are coplanar with the surfaces of the first and second recesses 621, respectively. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second protrusions 622 are ribs extending from the first and second recesses 621 toward the rear wall, respectively. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second protrusions 622 are substantially L-shaped when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the first and second side walls, respectively. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, A waste ink inlet opening formed in the front wall; Further comprising a waste ink absorbing member disposed inside the cartridge, The waste ink absorbing member is in fluid communication with the waste ink inlet opening. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, Further comprising a pair of positioning openings formed in said front wall, The ink supply portion is disposed between the positioning openings when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the upper wall. Ink cartridge. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete The method of claim 39, The ink receptacles are ink packs, Each of the ink packs has an ink bag in fluid communication with a cylindrical introduction having a bore, the bore in communication with both the interior of the ink bag and the combined ink supply. Ink cartridge. delete The method of claim 39, The ink supply portion is located in a plane parallel to the plane on which the first indentation surface lies. Ink cartridge. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete The method of claim 30, A third sidewall opposite the second sidewall and intersecting the first sidewall; And further comprising a further contact portion and a further engagement portion formed on the third sidewall. Liquid container. The method of claim 72, The other contacting portion and the other engaging portion are located at a position on the third sidewall corresponding to a position of the contacting portion and the engaging portion on the second sidewall. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The contact portion is located adjacent to the coupling portion Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The contact defines a face that is in the same plane as the surface of the engagement portion. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The liquid container includes a plurality of supplies arranged in a direction crossing the second sidewall. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, And a pair of positioning openings formed in the first sidewall, wherein the ink supply or supply portions are disposed between the positioning openings when viewed in a direction parallel to each of the first and second sidewalls. Liquid container. 78. The method of claim 77 wherein The positioning openings are located on both sides of the ink supply portion or the supply portions when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the first side wall. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The contact portion is substantially L-shaped when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the second sidewall. Liquid container. The method of claim 30, The first sidewall is a front wall, the second sidewall is a sidewall, and the liquid container further comprises an upper wall, a lower wall, and a rear wall. Liquid container. 81. The method of claim 80, The engaging portion is located at an offset position closer to the rear wall than the front wall. Liquid container. 82. The method of claim 80 or 81, The contact portion is located between the coupling portion and the rear wall Liquid container. 82. The method of claim 80 or 81, The coupling portion is located closer to the lower wall than the upper wall Liquid container. 84. The method of claim 83 wherein The coupling portion is open at the lower wall Liquid container. 82. The method of claim 80 or 81, The contact portion is a rib extending from the engagement portion toward the rear wall Liquid container. 82. The method of claim 80 or 81, A waste ink inlet opening formed in the front wall; Further comprising a waste ink absorbing member disposed inside the liquid container, The waste ink absorbing member is in fluid communication with the waste ink inlet opening. Liquid container. 87. The method of claim 86, The front wall has a plurality of raised portions, The ink supply opening or openings and the waste ink inlet opening are respectively formed in the raised portion. Liquid container. The method of claim 39, The first and second recesses 621 are located at an offset position closer to the rear wall than the front wall. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second protrusions 622 are located adjacent to the first and second recesses 621, respectively. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second protrusions 622 are located between each of the first and second recesses 621 and the rear wall. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second indentation surfaces are coplanar with the surfaces of the first and second recesses 621, respectively. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 47, The front wall includes a plurality of raised portions, and the ink supply portion and the waste ink inlet opening are respectively formed in the raised portions. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The ink supply portion is arranged in a direction crossing the first side wall Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first pressing surface lies in a plane parallel to the front wall and the first pressing surface reaches the first recess 621. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The second pressing surface lies in a second plane parallel to the front wall and the second pressing surface reaches the second recess 621. Ink cartridge. 97. The method of claim 95, The first and second planes overlap Ink cartridge. 97. The method of claim 95 or 96, The first and second recesses 621 lie on a line parallel to the front wall. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 39, The first and second recesses 621 are part of one groove in the lower wall Ink cartridge. In an ink cartridge, An upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and first and second sidewalls, One or more ink supply portions formed in the front wall; One or more ink receptacles defined within the cartridge and in fluid communication with each of the ink supplies; A first recess 621 recessed from the first side wall, A first protrusion 622 protruding from a first plane on which at least a portion of the first sidewall is placed, A second recess 621 recessed from the first sidewall, A second protrusion 622 protruding from a second plane on which at least a portion of the second side wall is laid, The third recess 619, A circuit board disposed in the third recess 619, The first protrusion 622 is located adjacent to the first recess 621, the second protrusion 622 is located adjacent to the second recess 621, The circuit board is accessible through an opening in the third recess 619 that is open at the front wall. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 99, wherein An adjoining portion formed in the ink cartridge, the adjoining portion suitable for contacting the liquid container receiving portion of the ink ejection apparatus in which the ink cartridge can be accommodated The first recess 621, the circuit board and the adjacent portion are arranged in the order listed at a relative distance from the bottom of the cartridge toward the top of the cartridge. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The first and second recesses 621 are located at an offset position closer to the rear wall than the front wall. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The first protrusion 622 is located between the first recess 621 and the rear wall, and the second protrusion 622 is located between the second recess 621 and the rear wall. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The first and second recesses 621 are located closer to the lower wall than the upper wall. Ink cartridge. 103. The method of claim 103, The first and second recesses 621 are open at the lower wall. Ink cartridge. The method of claim 99, wherein The first protrusion 622 defines a surface coplanar with the surface of the first recess 621, and the second protrusion 622 is a plane coplanar with the surface of the second recess 621. To regulate Ink cartridge. 105. The method of claim 105, The surface of the first protrusion 622 is coplanar with the surface of the first recess 621, and the surface of the second protrusion 622 is coplanar with the surface of the second recess 621. Ink cartridge. 107. The method of claim 105 or 106, The face of the first protrusion 622 and the face of the second protrusion 622 lie in a plane parallel to at least a portion of the front wall. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The first and second recesses 621 are part of one groove in the lower wall. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The first protrusion 622 is a rib extending from the first recess 621 toward the rear wall, and the second protrusion 622 extends from the second recess 621 toward the rear wall. Live in Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The first protrusion 622 is substantially L-shaped when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the first sidewall, and the second protrusion 622 is substantially L-shaped when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the second side wall. sign Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, A waste ink inlet opening formed in the front wall; Further comprising a waste ink absorbing member disposed inside the cartridge, The waste ink absorbing member is in fluid communication with the waste ink inlet opening. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The front wall has a plurality of raised portions, The ink supply opening and the waste ink inlet opening are respectively formed in the riser. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, Further comprising a pair of positioning openings formed in said front wall, The ink supply portion is disposed between the positioning openings when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the upper wall. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The ink receiving portion is an ink pack, Each of the ink packs has an ink bag in fluid communication with a cylindrical introduction having a bore, wherein the bore is in communication with both the interior of the ink bag and the combined ink supply. Ink cartridge. 101. The method of claim 99 or 100, The third recess 619 is recessed from the lower wall Ink cartridge.

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